Naruto: Kuronikuru no Uzu
by UzumakiLineageX
Summary: Naruto departs Konohagakure for all of five years with his new sensei, Jiraiya of the Sannin. He returns with a new-found maturity and extraordinary abilities, and he plans to use these traits to achieve his new goal: Restore the Uzumaki. All the while, will he notice a certain Hyūga's feelings? / NaruHina & other pairings / AU / Rated M for Graphic Violence and Sexual Implications
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: ****The Naruto Manga and Naruto/Naruto: Shippuden Animes including their characters, storyline, and content are all owned by Manga Author Kishimoto Masashi and are licensed by Viz Media, Madman Entertainment, and Shueisha. I claim nothing except for my original characters. The idea of the scattered Uzumaki clan and depicting Uzumaki Honoka as a surviving character is credited to Psycho G in his FanFiction "**_**Sealed Legacy.**_**" I give permission to anyone reading who wishes to create their own FanFictions to use any of my original characters and/or their personalities. I only request credit for their use in return.**

* * *

**/Prologue/**

"Yondaime Hokage Minato, step away from the female Jinchūriki Uzumaki, or your newborn child will suffer his demise. It would be quite a shame for him to exist not even five minutes in this cruel world, or would I be doing him a favor by killing him now?" A man clothed in a dark hooded cloak with an orange mask customized with black swaying patterns was holding Namikaze Minato's infant son, Naruto, with a hand merely inches away from his fragile skull. Behind the man were the bodies of one of the nurses who helped with the delivery and the wife of the Sandiame, Sarutobi Biwako. His one visible eye revealed no hints of mercy nor negotiation with his deep voice following suit. Instead, his eye relayed hatred through the form of a three-tomoe sharingan, the signature Kekkei Genkai of the legendary Uchiha clan.

_'Naruto...'_ Minato had very few options to act on, most of which involved his son's death. Why would this have to happen now of all days? Of all the days of the year, the one day in which he or Kushina would be confronted by an assassin, it had to be the day in which his son, his very own flesh and blood that he loved so dearly, was to experience his first day in this world. He glanced over at his wife. She lay on the medical table, exhausted and weak from her recent labor and birthing. She was helpless. But something was wrong. _'The seal is breaking! The Kyūbi!'_ He looked back at the masked assailant, fear and panic in his eyes so obvious even a toddler could read his emotions.

"Wait! Calm down! Let's at least talk through this! Please! Don't do anything rash!" Minato pleaded with worry and concern evident in his voice. Unamused, the assassin tossed the infant into the air, drawing back his left hand, armed with a razor sharp kunai to strike him down. Minato saw his chance. He used his signature jutsu, the very technique that earned him his famous nickname of Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō, to snatch up Naruto in a flash and land behind the assassin after ricocheting off the ceiling. The masked man smirked behind his mask.

_'Hiraishin no Jutsu. You truly are a one-trick pony just as I remember, Sensei. And after all these years too. Nonetheless, your speed has always impressed me. However...' _He formed a half-ram seal, setting off a sizzling sound from the blanket Naruto was wrapped in. Minato noticed this and swiftly inspected the blanket only to find it littered littered with explosive tags primed for detonation. Frantically, he ripped the blanket off Naruto's body and flung it aside, using Hiraishin to teleport back to his home.

He walked over and laid the child onto his bed, out of harm's way. He took a moment to smile at his son. _'Naruto, my son... At least you're safe now. Don't worry, I'll pro-' _He was jolted out of his self-musings by an incredible surge of chakra. It felt dark, frightening, but above all, ultimately powerful. Minato's eyes widened and an icy chill migrated through his spine at the realization when the chakra was accompanied by a ground-shaking roar. _'Kyūbi no Y__ō__ko... Oh no. Then that means... Kushina!' _Without another thought, he activated the seal placed on his wife and love, desperately hoping she was alright.

* * *

The Kyūbi ravaged around in it's seal, searching for any and all weaknesses to exploit in an effort to free itself from its damnable prison. However, much to its dismay, the seal wasn't exactly designed to be weak, as it was designed by Fūinjutsu master Uzumaki Mito, its first Jinchūriki. It cursed to itself, but soon recognized the occurring events outside of its confinement.

* * *

Kushina struggled against the chains created from sealing kanji that bound her to two large boulders. She looked before her to see the masked bastard that nearly murdered her precious baby. "Who the hell are you and what do you want from me!" She demanded in a riled up tone, even though her fatigue counterbalanced her ferocity.

"You couldn't possibly be that dense, now could you Uzumaki Kushina? Is it truly not that obvious to you? I've come for something in particular, something that will show everyone that this world is not worth living in." The masked man raised his hands in front of himself, clenching his hands into fists tightly. "I, Uchiha Madara, have come fore the Kyūbi no Yokō!"

At these words, Kushina inhaled sharply. _'Madara? He's alive? But how? The Shodai killed him at the Valley of the End!' _She then realized the truth of her situation, and it strummed the chords of fear within her. _'He... He's going to extract it from me... But that means I'll... die...'_ she thought to herself, fear beginning to overtake her. That fear, however was quickly replaced by pinpoint agony centered at her abdomen where her crumbling seal was nested.

* * *

The Kyūbi could now see outside the seal. It struggled to escape once more, this time making some headway. Before it could continue its endeavors, however, it caught the one eye it never wished to see. _'Dammit! An Uchiha! And if I heard correctly, it's the one Uchiha I despise more than the rest!' _Before the Kyūbi could process anymore thoughts, its world went dark.

* * *

The Kyūbi slowly crawled from its prison to freedom. Its eyes were not the red slits everybody feared, but instead red with circular pupils complemented by 3 tomoe stretching to the outer edges of the irises. The Kyūbi was under Madara's control now. Bit by bit, it extracted itself from the seal. First was the head, then the arms, then one tail, two, three, and so on until the entire Bijū was liberated. It bellowed to the night skies, a deafening roar that awakened most of the village and set the shinobi on high alert. Two shinobi, however, were particularly concerned.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his office in the late hours of the night. His hands were focused on the paperwork at hand, but his mind wandered to a more important subject: Kushina's childbirth. He was curious of the progress, yet at the same time he was terrified to the bone. There was much room for error and one couldn't be too careful when dealing with the Kyūbi.

Hiruzen took another puff on his pipe, exhaling the smoke. He sighed. He supposed he would know soon enough. After all, they were protected by several ANBU and a quantity of sealing formulas. Not to mention his own wife and his successor were there ensuring the delivery went smoothly and the seal remained intact. Everything should be fine.

As if to prove him wrong on the spot, his ears tuned in to a thunderous howl followed by a wave of chakra weighed with hate and malice. Hiruzen froze. _'It can't be...'_ Immediately, he began equipping his old ninja garb which consisted of a black and green kabuto embroidered with the emblem of Konoha on an iron plate with two long strands of ebony cloth dangling from the back, a dark ninja suit with mesh chain-mail underneath and two iron shoulder-plates, dark green forearm guards, and inky sandals.

As he was adjusting his guards, a shinobi burst through his office door. "Sandaime-sama!"

"I know." Hiruzen cut the shinobi off before he could continue with his warning. It was difficult to miss chakra of that magnitude. Instead, there were important orders that needed to be delivered.

"I want you to relay these orders. Mobilize all the older and capable ANBU, Jōnin, and Chūnin immediately for battle against the Kyūbi. Send word to the police force to gather and protect all of the civilians. Get the all of Genin to safety along with the younger shinobi. We're swiftly running out of time and options so you must move quickly, understand?" Wasting valuable time was not an option during a colossal crisis such as this one. Hiruzen barked his orders fiercely and with an authoritative tone that hasn't been heard for a long time.

"Hai, Sandiame-sama!" With that, the Chūnin left to carry out his orders. Hiruzen gathered his ninja tools all the while musing to himself what could have gone wrong during the birthing period. _'Minato...'_ he though to himself. _'What on Earth happened?'_

* * *

Kushina came to being held by Minato upon a cliff overlooking the site where her bijū had been extracted. She was genuinely terrified at the sight of the Kyūbi, yet simultaneously genuinely confused. _'Why am I still alive? I thought you died when your bijū was extracted...'_ She looked up to her love's face and into his bright, blue eyes. "Minato...?"

Minato jerked at the sound of his wife's voice. "Kushina!" He exclaimed, obviously surprised to see his wife was still breathing regardless of the extraction of the Kyūbi. "I'm going to get you out of here. I'll take you back to the house and leave you there with Naruto, alright?" Kushina, too weak to protest, merely nodded at her husband's plan.

In a flash, they appeared inside their bedroom, greeted by the sounds of a weeping, but healthy baby boy. Minato gently rested Kushina next to Naruto, which she responded to by rolling over and grasping the child in a hug, crying her son's name while doing so. Minato smiled softly at the scene splayed before him, but his features quickly shifted to that of strong determination and barely concealed fury. He whipped his Jōnin vest and Kage overcoat from its hook, dressing himself in them over his current garb.

He looked toward Kushina to see her in the same position. "Kushina, don't worry. I'll be back in a flash. Someone is going to wish they hadn't interfered with my family." Without another word, he used the Hiraishin no Jutsu to teleport to the Hokage monument, now fully geared for battle and prepared to defend his village, even if it meant the cost of his own life.

* * *

The Kyūbi ravaged the village, decimating structures and ripping people apart, civilian and shinobi alike. Much of the ruins were stained in blood and body parts. The gruesome sight would have made any normal person topple from sickness and horror. Shinobi and ANBU all executed their most powerful jutsu, hoping to injure the beast burning their home. The Kyūbi, however, paid no mind to their pitiful attempts, simply swiping his tail to wave them away or crushing them like helpless ants beneath its clawed paws. It seemed like the only shinobi powerful enough to even dent the monster was Minato's late predecessor, Hiruzen. It could have been his raw power, or it could have been his knowledge of jutsu, him being the only one who knew any jutsu strong enough to pose a threat to the bijū. He wasn't called Purofessā for his book smarts after all.

As Hiruzen thought they were gaining a slight bit of headway against the monster, the Kyūbi began to charge and mold the signature attack of the bijū: the bijūdama. Now Hiruzen began to panic, if only a small amount. _'None of my jutsu are powerful enough to stop _that_!_ However, when the bomb was fired toward the Hokage monument, a large sealing formula appeared in front of it which Hiruzen immediately recognized. _'That's one of the Hiraishin formula! He's not deceased after all!' _The seal began to gradually absorb the bijūdama until it was completely teleported to an empty plain far away from the village that Minato had marked with a Hiraishin formula. The large explosion miles away had confirmed his success.

Not moments later, an enormous red toad with a navy blue opened shirt and a tantō at its side appeared in a large puff of smoke above the Kyūbi, falling onto the beast and effectively pinning it to the ground. Hiruzen also recognized this as the Gama Oyabun, also known as Gamabunta. Atop the toad's head stood a man clad in a long white coat hemmed with a red flame pattern sporting "Yondaime Hokage" written in red kanji down the back.

"Sandaime-sama," Minato spoke up from Gamabunta's head. "Can you continue the offensive with Gamabunta? I must go find the perpetrator of this attack and end him." At his successor's request, Hiruzen nodded and proceeded to launch a new volley of attacks against the Kyūbi.

* * *

Minato stood in the middle of a woodland area located just outside the walls of Konoha. He tried to locate the masked man's chakra, but to no avail. As he was about to Hiraishin elsewhere, a black swirl began to manifest in front of him, slowly revealing the form of the masked man, the mastermind behind the attack against his village. Minato was surprised by his method of enterance.

_'He uses teleportation jutsu as well? He's a more powerful shinobi than I originally estima-' _Minato jolted at his sudden train of thought. _'Wait a moment... He's an Uchiha, he knew all about the Kyūbi's seal, he defeated the ANBU we posted and passed the barrier seal we situated, freed the Kyūbi and tamed it, and is now using it to attack Konoha. There is only one shinobi...'_

"You're Uchiha Madara, aren't you?" Minato accused in a strong, but icy voice.

The masked man chuckled and removed his hood, revealing short, spiky ebony hair. "Maybe, maybe not."

Minato huffed. "No, that isn't right. Madara died in the battle against the Shodai." It couldn't be Madara, not after all these years. Age affects everyone, including him.

"I wonder about that," the supposed Madara retorted, an all too smug tone coating his low-pitched voice.

"Regardless," Minato began. "Why are you targeting Konoha? What motives would you have to attack my village?"

Madara raised his left arm, from the sleeve of which a chain dropped and dangled. "You could say I did it on a whim, or maybe that it was planned. Perhaps it's war, or maybe it's for peace. Who knows. But now that I have freed the Kyūbi, you people are without hope!" He fastened the chain onto cuffs on his wrists. Minato drew one of his custom three-pronged kunai and held it in a combat stance, prepared to strike or defend at any given moment.

Instantly, Madara charged with his chain trailing behind his back from both cuffs, and Minato responded, arm fully outstretched wielding a kunai which was prepared to strike down the assailant. However, it never entered the flesh of his opponent, but instead passed directly through him, the rest of Minato's body doing the same. He was instead caught by Madara's chain in a vice-like grip, which Minato promptly teleported out of using Hiraishin and one of his marked kunai. _'His body... So physical attacks don't work,' _Minato analyzed.'_But I've already figured one thing out. If he wants to attack at all, he has to make himself tangible.' _He smirked. _'I know just what to do now.'_

Minato took his marked kunai and hurled it toward the now charging Madara, following the kunai closely behind. Just as the kunai passed through the rear of his skull, Minato teleported using his Hiraishin and quickly formed his new signature jutsu.

"**Rasengan!"**

He plunged the spiraling sphere of chakra down onto Madara's backside, effectively putting him out of commission, and, from the way his life force was disappearing and blood was pouring from the wound in addition to the several bone fragments scattered across the site and in his body, Madara was down for the count. He noticed a few orange shards, some with black markings. The mask had been shattered. Curious to see if his assumptions had been correct, Minato rolled the man over to get a view of his face, but what he witnessed drained the blood from his face, froze him cold, and sent shockwaves of horror up and down his body.

"O-Obi-Obito... Oh n-no..." Minato was beyond speechless, but he could still feel himself nearing a breakdown. Tears welled in his eyes, spilling over and down his cheeks. _'What have I done?' _Minato had effectively killed one of his own students, a boy who had a kind heart and fierce determination, a boy who should have been deceased, Uchiha Obito. "Obito... Why?" Why would Obito want blood from Konoha? What motives did he have? More importantly, he should have been killed from the rock-slide when he was with Kakashi.

As the light faded from Obito's eyes, he could only mutter five words: "I-I'm sorry, R-Ri-Rin... I-I've f-failed..." His last word was his last breath as the life left him, and his body became cold and still, yet it still leaked blood in multiple directions from his back due to the Rasengan he had been hit with full on.

Minato didn't take this well at all and nearly broke down, but a booming roar from the Kyūbi drew him out of his moping. That's right. He still had a village to protect and rescue, and as long as he held the title of Hokage he'd be damned if he failed them. In a flash, he teleported back to the battlefield without another though of his student, regardless of how it may have impacted him.

* * *

"It's too strong for me to handle! I'm losing ground!" Hiruzen wasn't faring well from the sound of his voice. Minato saw Gamabunta grab the oversized fox and slam it back towards the Earth with crushing force. Apparently, this only served to irritate the now uncontrolled beast further due to the fact it began readying another bijūdama. Minato saw this and frantically sped over to the Kyūbi and did the only thing he could think of: He teleported the bijū and himself to his home where the bomb was detonated. However, thanks to Minato's unparalleled speed, he was able to evacuate his wife and child before harm could befall them.

Panting, he asked Kushina, "Are you both alright?" At her nod, he continued, aware of the fact the Kyūbi was back on all fours and fast approaching them. "I managed to make it this far, but I don't know if I can finish this. I'm frighteningly low on chakra from teleporting the Kyūbi here. This might be it for us, unless I manage to perform the Shiki Fūjin to summon the Shingami." At this, Kushina gasped and eyed her husband in disbelief. He wouldn't give his life so easily, would he? Minato saw her worry and reminded her of their options. "Look, it's either I die and take that monster with me, or we all die, including everyone in the village. I can't let that happen and you know it."

"Minato..." Kushina muttered. As much as she hated it, he was right. It was either him or the village, her and Naruto included.

But he would not do this by himself.

She gathered what chakra she had left and molded them into her bloodline ability: the golden and shining Chakra Chains, which protruded from her back effectively binding the Kyūbi and creating a dome-shaped barrier preventing all infiltration and exfiltration. Minato was swept with concern. "Kushina!" he yelled. "Stop! You don't have a lot of chakra left!"

"Minato," she chuckled in response. "Did you really thing I'd let you do this alone? Not while I'm here. I won't let you take this burden upon yourself, 'ttebane?" Kushina informed him. While he didn't agree, he understood her motives and accepted them. She loved the village too, but above all else, she loved him, and she loved Naruto. Minato sighed in defeat and prepared himself for the Shiki Fūjin, but realized one important detail.

"I can't seal its entirety in me, and you're incapable to handle him this soon after extraction. I'm sorry Kushina, but you and I both know there's only one choice available." Kushina's eyes went wide with realization and she gasped even more sharply than she ever had before. Every instict, every maternal cell in her body was screaming in protest, but in her mind, she knew it had to be done.

"Naruto..." she whispered as tears began to flow freely from her eyes.

Minato went over, lifted a crying Naruto from the ground, and summoned the sealing alter, placing his son upon it, readying him for the sealing. He began to weave through seals.

* * *

Just outside the barrier, Hiruzen and his shinobi were desperately trying to breach it so they could assist their Yondaime. However, Hiruzen's body went rigid as his eyes followed Minato's hands as they weaved through the seals for- _'The Shiki Fūjin... He's summoning the Shingami... Minato, is there really no other way?'_

* * *

"**Shiki Fūjin!"**

Minato finished his seals, clapping his hands together and summoning the Shingami to this plane of existence. He looked at Kushina and informed her of the slight alteration in his plan. "He shouldn't have to make his journey alone. I'll seal the remainder of my chakra and the remainder of yours so that way he'll never be alone and the Kyūbi will never take advantage of him or win him over." Kushina smiled at him and he returned it with a grin of his own. His face then settled into more serious lines as he used the Shingami's arm to remove half of the Kyūbi's chakra and absorb it into his own body. The magnitude of the chakra he sealed into himself nearly overwhelmed him, yet he pressed on, determined to finish the ritual.

Kushina took one last look at Naruto. _'We only just met and now I have to say goodbye. Maybe I'll see you again if you ever try to take control of the Kyūbi. Maybe I'll even help you awaken your chakra chains too. I can feel that you have the same prominent chakra as me, my son. Just know even though I could never watch your grow up, even though I could never take care of you and be the mommy you'd always want, just know this: I love you Naruto, I always will even in death. I love you so much, my sweet baby boy.' _Kushina's last thoughts had her spilling tears like waterfalls from both of her eyes.

"**Hakke no Fūin Shiki!"**

Minato placed his hand on Naruto's stomach as he sealed the remainder of the Kyūbi, his chakra, and Kushina's chakra within the boy. He felt weak and exhausted as darkness swept over him. He looked at Naruto and his passed wife and smiled before collapsing to the floor. Upon Kushina's demise, the barrier released, and dozens of shinobi including the Sandaime rushed in to help the Yondaime and his wife.

"Hiruzen... I... have one last... thing to tell you..." Hiruzen leaned forward, listening carefully to the words of the dying Hokage. After Minato finished, Hiruzen pulled away, nodding his understanding.

"Rest assured, Yondaime-sama, I will carry out this responsibility. And should I die sooner than he comes of age, I will make sure that someone capable delivers the news to him. Minato smiled at his predecessor as his lungs depressed for the last time.

The Yondaime had died, and the Kyūbi was defeated.

* * *

**/12 Years Later/**

Uzumaki Naruto, the pariah of Konohagakure no Sato, strolled down the streets following his new sensei, a perverted old hermit known to all as Jiraiya, the Gama-Sennin, one of the three Sannin of Konoha. Naruto took much joy in calling him the ero-sennin, yet regardless, Jiraiya was willing to take him on a five year training journey. It was the least he could do for his late deceased student, Minato.

Before they reached the gates, Naruto stopped for a moment and spun on his heel to face the Hokage monument, four stone faces looking over the village. He raised his fist to them. "I will come back as the strongest ninja in the village, and I will become Hokage! Nobody's gonna stop me! Dattebayo!"

Jiraiya turned around to witness his newest pupil standing in the middle of the street with his fist toward the sky spouting his usual 'Hokage' nonsense. "Yo Naruto," he spoke up, catching the blond's attention. "We gotta go gaki, hurry it up!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Gomen, ero-sennin!"

"I told you to stop calling me that, gaki!" Jiraiya viciously retorted. What was the kid thinking? Calling him a pervert in the middle of a busy street like that! He was a legendary ninja dammit! He deserved some form of respect!

Little to Naruto's knowledge, considering his routine obliviousness and dense mentality, a small and timid twelve year old girl with short, indigo hair and pale, lavender eyes watched him from behind a telephone pole, a small jar in her hand filled with a healing salve and a light blush tinting her milky cheeks. It's the same healing salve she gave him during the preliminaries of the Chūnin exam. Her name was Hyūga Hinata, heiress of the esteemed and influential Hyūga clan, an heiress seen as weak by her father. Despite her efforts to please him, it seemed impossible. She was never strong enough for his liking, and her weakness was not appealing to him. She didn't care too much about that though. Her goal, above all else, was to become strong enough to be considered worthy to walk beside Naruto as his equal, or at least close. She wanted him to acknowledge her. _'If I give him my homemade medicine, maybe he might pay a little attention to me,' _she mused in her head, still trying to build up the courage to approach him. _'If I don't give it to him now, I won't get the chance to at all. He is after all leaving for five ye-'_

That was enough to send her sprinting after him full speed. She had to do something now. It was now or never.

* * *

Jiraiya and Naruto finally reached the gates of the village, fully prepared to depart. Jiraiya turned to his new student. "Ready to go, Naruto?"

"Hell yeah!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically in response. "Let's go! I'm ready to get super strong!"

Jiraiya smiled at Naruto, but he noticed a small dust cloud swiftly approaching them. He smirked as he noticed who was causing such a dust cloud. "Hold up, gaki. One of your friend's wants to see you off."

Naruto gave his sensei a confused look, but when he turned around, a big grin nearly split his face. "Hinata!"

At the sound of his voice, Hinata skidded to a stop on the dusty cobblestone trail, digging her heels into the ground to further slow her rapid advance. She halted just feet away from the duo, her light blush growing even more prominent. "H-hello N-Narut-to-k-kun..." she stuttered out. She cursed her stuttering quirk. Nothing ever seemed to come out right in front of him.

"Hi Hinata!" Naruto bellowed jovially, his grin still in place. "You really came all the way here to see me off?" Truth be told, Naruto didn't think his friends cared _that_ much about him. As it stood, Hinata was the one he had the least contact with, well next to Aburame Shino.

Her blush further intensified at his greeting and trailing question. "Y-y-yes, N-Naruto-kun-n... I-I heard f-from S-Sakura-s-san t-th-that you were l-leaving today f-for five y-years, so I-I thought I-I'd bring your a-a p-p-p-pr-pres-present..." She could barely get the last word out. But as per her words, she held out the container of healing salve towards Naruto, bowing and not even daring to meet his bright azure eyes.

"Hey, isn't this that stuff you gave me during the Chūnin exams, Hinata?" She nodded, not moving the rest of her body even a centimeter. "Gee, thanks, Hinata-chan! You're the best!"

She shot upright immediately with a squeak, eyes so wide her eyeballs threatened to shoot from their sockets. _'H-Hinata-c-_chan_? I-I'm the b-b-best?' _She could barely form a coherent though as it was-

-up until he squeezed her into a bone crushing embrace. _'H-he's... N-Naruto-kun is... h-h-hu-'_ This proved to be too much for the poor girl, and she promptly fainted into his arms.

Naruto, dense as ever, was genuinely confused. "Hey, uh, Hinata-chan, you okay?" He asked her limp form. No response. _'Why does she always do that?'_ he pondered to no one in particular. He heard Jiraiya bark amused laughter from the direction of the gate.

"Hey! Shut it ero-sennin! It's not her fault!" This only served to fuel the old man's booming laughter. Sighing in defeat, he carried Hinata to the nearest tree and placed her in the shade, letting her cool down.

Before he turned and left, a thought occurred to him. _'I should give her something back. Hmm... oh well, I don't have any ryō anyways, so this oughtta do it!' _He reached into the pocket of his orange jumpsuit and pulled out his favorite ryō purse, appropriately named Gama-chan due to its froggy appearance. He laid the empty ryō purse on Hinata's lap and smiled before running back to the gate to meet up with his still laughing sensei. They proceeded out of the village gates, arguing back and forth between eachother, not to return for five years, but not before Naruto took a double take of Hinata and smiled again. He'd be back someday.

**/End/**

**/Next Chapter: Homecoming/**

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**Please R&amp;R, it's my first FanFiction and I'd like to know what you guys think! I've got a whole adventure planned so please follow and favorite this FanFic if it hyped you up!**


	2. Homecoming

**DISCLAIMER: ****The Naruto Manga and Naruto/Naruto: Shippuden Animes including their characters, storyline, and content are all owned by Manga Author Kishimoto Masashi and are licensed by Viz Media, Madman Entertainment, and Shueisha. I claim nothing except for my original characters. The idea of the scattered Uzumaki clan and depicting Uzumaki Honoka as a surviving character is credited to Psycho G in his FanFiction "**_**Sealed Legacy.**_**" ****I give permission to anyone reading who wishes to create their own FanFictions to use any of my original characters and/or their personalities. I only request credit for their use in return.**

* * *

**/Chapter 1: Homecoming/**

Sunlight peered through the white blinds, illuminating the pale skin of a young Hyūga woman, effectively waking her from her nightly slumber. Her soft lavender eyes fluttered open, still slightly squinting to adjust to the morning rays. She sat up and stretched her rigid muscles, preparing them for the lovely day ahead. From her perspective, however, it was merely another day of loneliness. She sighed in sadness.

_'Five years, three months, and twenty-two days...' _Five years, three months, and twenty-two days prior to this morning, her love left to train with Jiraiya-sama. He is yet to return to Konoha. She reluctantly dragged her heavy body out of bed and groggily limped towards her bathroom. Perhaps a hot soak would do her a bit of justice this morning and relieve some of her depression.

As the tub filled with heated water, she stripped down to her birthday suit, a bit clumsily at that, and examined her seventeen-year-old body in her full mirror. She had indeed grown from the time when she was twelve. Her breasts had grown to a larger size that some women would be outrageously jealous of at her age. They weren't anywhere near the colossal size of Tsunade-sama's but they were still quite large. Her hips had widened to about shoulder width, forming a perfect hourglass due to her small stomach. She was very much the idol figure of a young maiden. Of course, she didn't see herself this way. Hinata believed she matured too quickly as opposed to other girls her age. She believed that if people saw her the way she was, people would classify her as a freak after careful scrutiny, especially due to her pale complexion. As a result, she wore baggy clothing which consisted of loose but fitting blue ninja pants, a lavender jacket with a white hood and sleeves, and ebony strapped shinobi sandals in addition to the Konoha hitai-ate she wore around her neck. Perhaps this could go both ways considering that if young men did find her body attractive, she could still conceal it, freeing her of their hungry gazes. Only one man could view her in such a manner, and he has been missing for over five years.

After a lengthy and thorough cleansing washing away some of her melancholic mood, she dressed herself in her standard ninja garb and decided to spend the day training at Team Seven's retired training ground. Perhaps that could rid her of her negative mood, or perhaps it could make it worse considering that Training Ground Three was the very location in which Naruto stated he liked people like her.

"_I always though you were dark, shy, timid, and basically completely weird. But you know what? I actually kind of like... people like you!"_

She shook her head. Reminiscing on memories like those would only serve to depress her further. She grabbed her ninja tools and strapped them to the tape on her right leg. Before she stood, something caught her eye. _'Gama-chan...'_ It was the same purse Naruto had given her when he left. She woke up to the sight of it resting on her lap. She knew that having it on her person would also only serve to depress her further, but she stuffed it into her pouch anyways. She couldn't completely block him out.

* * *

"Sorry Jiraiya-sensei, I can't help but be giddy! I'm returning to my friends today and to add on to that I get to fill up on some of Teuchi-jī-san's divine ramen!" A tall blond man with azure eyes wearing a one-piece dark shinobi outfit walked next to his elder sensei down the dirt road that led to their home village. The blond's one-piece ninja suit had no sleeves and was skin-tight with three standard kunai holstered on each thigh along with a black satched that housed the rest of his ninja tools, particularly three-pronged kunai with a custom sealing formula embedded on their hilts and fūinjutsu scrolls. He wore standard black shinobi sandals and a black scarf around his neck. His hitai-ate, saddled on a black cloth, bore a leaf symbol, the symbol of Konohagakure no Sato advertising his loyalties to the ninja village as a shinobi. As for his blond hair, the rear and sides were of a short to medium length and his bangs fell to just above his eyes with two spikes longer than the rest nearly aligning with his masculine chin, semi-framing his face.

"At least try to calm down, Naruto. And try not to run in full sprint towards the gates when they come into view. The ANBU on guard won't recognize you and may attack you on sight. You have grown up and changed a lot, remember?" The older of the two had long, spiked white hair tied into a ponytail that hung down to mid-back. His ninja attire consisted of a wrapped olive shirt and pant overlapped by a red vest that had yellow circles on each pectoral and a mesh shinobi chainmail shirt underneath it all. He wore wooden geta sandals and his headband, which had two horns protruding from it, bore not the symbol of Konoha, but that of Myōbokuzan.

"I'm well aware, sensei. I'm not a dumb as I used to be. You taught me how to grow up, _remember_?" Naruto replied with a smirk, putting emphasis on the last word to mimic his sensei and get under the old man's skin.

Jiraiya sighed. At least being mocked in this kind of manner claimed superiority over being openly called 'ero-sennin.' About an hour later, they arrived at their destination: the Konoha gates. They both walked in and Naruto grinned at the wonderful sight of his home. _'I'm finally back guys,' _he thought to himself. He took a glance at the Hokage monument and his grin expanded. _'Looks like they finally added bā-chan's face up there. It looks good, suits her.' _Jiraiya turned to the two Chūnin gate guards and cleared his throat to get their attention.

At the sight of the Sannin, Izumo and Kotetsu jumped out of their seats and composed themselves stiff as a board. "J-Jiraiya-sama! We apologize for our disrespect, we didn't notice you entered!" Kotetsu sputtered, trying to redeem himself in front of the shinobi legend for his disrespect. "Uh, welcome back to Konoha, Jiraiya-sama!" The Sannin simply smiled and suppressed a cackle.

Izumo looked at the blond shinobi sporting a Konoha hitai-ate to the right of the legendary ninja. "Um, if I may ask, who is that?"

Naruto noticed he was mentioned and turned towards the two Chūnin, a smile plastered on his face. "You mean you guys don't recognize me?" Sensei was right. People would be a little bit unfamiliar with him for a while. Even so, it was still going to be amusing watching people play a guessing game with his face as the topic.

The two guards studied the blond closely, and Kotetsu was the first to realize who exactly the man was. "Naruto! It _is_ you! It's been a while since we've last seen you and damn have you grown up, kid!" Both Chūnin were genuinely pleased to see an old comrade returning to the village, and Naruto was just as pleased to see them.

"I tried," Naruto responded with a light chuckle. Maybe he wasn't as unfamiliar as he initially thought.

"Well, we're going to go," Jiraiya spoke up. "We have some errands to run now that we're back." The Chūnin nodded and bowed to their senior in understanding and proceeded back to their jobs. After a few minutes, Naruto broke the silence between them since there was something he didn't quite understand.

"You didn't inform me of these errands we had to run, sensei. What are they?" He asked, confusion clear in his voice. Jiraiya smiled.

"Well we technically do. I have to report the overwhelming success of your training to Tsunade and you have to go fill up on noodles. Am I wrong?"

Naruto laughed heartily at his sensei's sly tactic. "Yeah, I guess so. I'll see you in a while then sensei!" With that, Naruto took off to Ichiraku Ramen, the one place he had been craving since the day after their departure. Jiraiya smiled once more. _'Well I tried to break his ramen addiction, but that's the one thing I failed to do. Hell, I don't even think I came remotely close.'_

* * *

Naruto stood in front of the all too familiar ramen shack, stomach empty and purse full of ryō. He intended to swap the two. Just before he pulled back the flaps to head inside, a distinguishable voice called out to him in surpirse. "Naruto?! Is that really you?!" Down the cobblestone trail stood the apprentice of the Godaime herself, Haruno Sakura. She possessed hair the color of cherry blossoms parted to the left with a pin, slightly longer than Naruto remembered, and eyes the color of pure emeralds. She wore a maroon tunic similar to the one she wore when they were Genin with a zipper up the front and a thick white belt around her waist and lower abdomen all under a tan-colored Konoha flak jacket with a maroon medical symbol on the upper left of the vest. She now also wore fingerless gloves with sleeves that reached the middle of her biceps. On her lower half, she wore black spandex shorts that extended mid-thigh and had white tape wrapped around the middle of her right thigh which supported her ninja tools pouch. She wore midnight combat sandals that rose nearly to her knees with three-inch heels. Her headband sat in its usual place, but the cloth was now a crimson color.

Naruto smiled at his former teammate. "Yo, Sakura-chan!" Sakura's surprised face turned into an excited grin as she sprinted toward Naruto, collapsing into him in an embrace. Naruto was a little surprised at the friendly gesture, but he returned it despite this. "A bit touchy, aren't we?" He mocked her.

"Well it hasn't at all been five whole years Naruto," she laughed out, genuinely happy for her friend's return. "You've definitely grown up and gotten quite a bit more handsome, Naruto," Sakura observed with the lightest of blushes staining her cheeks. "Your voice also dropped a few octaves to boot. You actually sound like a grown man!"

"Thanks, Sakura-chan. You've grown as well and look much more like a young woman now," Naruto complemented, causing Sakura's blush to grow a bit darker, which Naruto noticed. "Sakura, you're blushing. Don't tell me you like me _now_," Naruto informed her with a sly smirk scratching his features.

That insinuation really yanked Sakura's chains, as she proceeded to hammer him into the cobblestone road. "No you baka! You're still Naruto, you know!" she yelled, a vein bulging from her forehead. Naruto climbed to his feet heavily dazed with a lump forming at the top of his head. _'What has bā-chan been teaching her? She hits several times harder than she used to!'_

"Gomen, Sakura-chan, but it was just a joke! I'm not even infatuated with you anymore so you can stop worrying about that part of me at least!" Naruto reprimanded her in his defense. Sakura merely giggled at his antics. He _was _still Naruto after all despite his increased maturity.

"Come on, you just got back so I'll treat you to ramen. I got a bonus during my shift at the hospital today." At this gesture of kindness, Naruto nodded in thanks and they both went inside, taking a stool and preparing to place their orders.

"Hello customers and welcome to Ichiraku Ra-" Teuchi began his greeting, but immediately froze with a dumbfounded expression glued to his face as soon as his saw Naruto. The blond merely grinned at the old ramen chef across the counter.

"Yo, Teuchi!" he greeted. "Long time no see!"

This snapped the old man out of his reverie and replaced his dumbstruck expression with one of pure joy and surprise. "Naruto!" Teuchi exclaimed. "Welcome back to the village! My, you sure have grown into quite the young man, kiddo!"

Naruto sheepishly scratched the back of his head, a habit he developed for when he was embarrassed. "Yeah, I've gotten that from more than one person today. But hey, I'm still me at least."

Teuchi guffawed from behind the counter. Naruto apparently learned humility while he was gone. "Tell you what, Naruto. It's the grand return of Uzumaki Naruto, the next Hokage! Therefore, you and your friend get ramen today on the house, free of charge!"

Naruto felt warm inside. He still had friends that cared for him despite his extended absence. "Thanks, old man. You just saved Sakura-chan a few ryō," Naruto credited, earning a cackle from his pink-haired teammate.

"Naruto! You're back! And therefore I challenge you!" a childish voice from behind them boomed. Naruto visibly perked at the recognition of who it was. _'Kid is the same as I left him, just older.' _The blond pulled back the flaps of the Ramen stand to come face-to-face with the owner of the voice: none other than Sarutobi Konohamaru wearing a long-sleeved grassy green shirt trimmed with black lines, standard black ninja pants with his weapons holster on his right leg on top of white tape, and a blue scarf, headband, and ninja sandals. _'Apparently he made Genin too.'_ Naruto smiled at his last thought, proud of Konohamaru for finally being realized as a shinobi.

"Alright then kiddo, what kind of challenge?" He was up for a quick contest with his old 'rival' as Konohamaru claimed them to be. He just hoped Konohamaru wouldn't try to push it as far as Gai-sensei did with Kakashi-sensei.

"We're gonna have a ninjutsu showdown!" Konohamaru cried out, punching the sky with his fist.

Naruto actually became a little smug at this. But then again, he was curious as to what Konohamaru learned. "Alright then kid, your move."

The young teen smirked. "Oh you're gonna love this one Naruto-nii-san!" With that being said, he formed the ram seal with his hands. **"****Oiroke no Jutsu!"** Naruto visibly twitched in annoyance as the boy transformed into a fully nude female with the only thing separating Naruto's eyes and the woman's nipples and genitalia being a small and thin cloud. Saying that Sakura was furious was an understatement.

The kunoichi was about to unleash hell on Konohamaru, but Naruto stopped her. "Don't punish him like that. He's only doing what I taught him when I was his age. Monkey see, monkey do, remember?" He moved over to Konohamaru and bonked him on the head, dispelling the henge. "Konohamaru, stop that," Naruto said to the teen with a serious undertone in his voice. "Those are childish tricks. I don't want to see you using that jutsu again, got it? Being a shinobi isn't fun and games like that, so don't treat your profession in such a manner."

"But you're the one who invented the jutsu in the first place!" Konohamaru retorted, confusion evident on his features. Why was Naruto so serious all of a sudden about not using a jutsu he created?

"I was also the one who pulled pranks all the time. That's when I was a kid and didn't know any better. Now I do know better and so should you, understood?" Naruto wasn't kidding around. After spending five years with a perverted sensei, even though the pervert put aside his 'research' stating Naruto's training took priority, he grew to become even more aggrivated with that kind of obscene behavior.

Konohamaru sighed in defeat. "I understand, Naruto-nii-san. I'll stop using the jutsu... But could you at least teach me something else to make up for it?" Konohamaru plead to Naruto. It wasn't a secret the teen looked up to the blonde as his idol and wanted to be just like Naruto.

Naruto smiled in return. "Alright," he agreed. "I'll teach you a few jutsu when I have the time, alright?" At this declaration, Konohamaru could only nod vigorously. "Now run along, we have errands to run."

"Alright, boss! Sayonara!" Konohamaru proceeded to run down the road and out of the sight of the two ninja at the ramen stand.

"I lost my appetite from that little scenario. Wanna go spar, Sakura-chan? I'm eager to see what you learned from- Sakura-chan?" Sakura stood still as a tree, gaping at Naruto. Did she really just witness that? Naruto, of all people, told someone to stop acting childish. Is the rapture about to occur or has Naruto simply matured more than she or anyone else thought possible? Three 'Sakura-chan's and a poke on the shoulder later, she was jolted out of her musings. "Are you alright?" Naruto asked.

"Uh, I'm, uh fine. Yeah, fine. Um, let's go spar, sure! I'm all up for that!" Sakura elicited a nervous laugh. Naruto just shrugged her behavior off, although he knew the reason as to why she was suddenly at a loss for words. As he turned to walk towards their team's old training ground, Training Ground Three, he couldn't help but smirk. He was going to surprise quite a few people now that he has returned.

* * *

Finishing a final Jūken combination, Hinata let her muscles relax, wiping the sheen of sweat from her brow. It was about time for a break, considering she had been training since the morning. Her combat stamina had increased ten-fold since her first appearance at the Chūnin exams. By her second attempt, she proved she was worthy of the rank and was promoted. It did manage to earn some recognition from her father on her worthiness. She had been training with Neji to improve after all. Now the Hyūga prodigy was a Jōnin while she wasn't quite there yet. She would try her hardest to make it there though. After all, Naruto would have to acknowledge her in some way if he came back and she was an elite ninja of the village.

She unzipped her coat and shrugged it off. She was far too hot to be wearing something like that right now. It would only serve to turn her torso into a furnace. As she leaned against the training post to catch her breath, she heard a conversation slowly growing in volume as the source neared her position. She could tell from the female voice that it was Sakura-san, but she was completely unfamiliar with the second voice. It was the voice of a man, but who? "Konichiwa, Hinata-san!" Sakura greeted the kunoichi. As Hinata turned to return the greeting, her entire body shut down and all the heat she was feeling from training migrated to her face the moment her lavender orbs locked with azure ones.

* * *

"So how was your training with bā-chan?" Naruto asked to appease his curiosity as they approached the training area for their spar. He'd wondered what medic-nin went through to acquire their abilities. The fact that Tsunade, a woman said to be unparalleled in the field in terms of medical ninjutsu and raw strength had taught his former teammate inflated his need to know.

Sakura rolled her eyes at his disrespect. As much as he had grown, he could still be rude when he wanted. "It went well. Tsunade-shishō taught me a lot in the past five years, including how to harness strength like her's. It's actually really simple, but it takes a lot of chakra precision and control, about on the level of a Hyūga. I was even promoted to Jōnin because of it!" Sakura stated proudly. She tried to avoid a big head over her promotion, but sometimes she couldn't help it. As it stood, she always was giddy about having natural chakra control. The ability was astonishingly easier to learn for her than most, including Tsunade's first pupil, Shizune. In this perspective, she had surpassed her senior and was now working to develop her abilities beyond that of her sensei. "I'm also currently in the process of developing the Byakugō no In, but that takes a while," she added.

"Congratulations on your promotion Sakura-chan, but what exactly is the Byakugō no In?"

"The diamond on Tsunade-sama's forehead." Now he understood. She really was planning to surpass the old Hokage. At her current rate of progression, she might actually just do that. Sakura always was a fast learner with an intelligent mind to boot. "How did your training trip go?" Sakura questioned. Now it was his turn to satisfy her interest.

"Sensei says that I've managed to surpass tou-chan and kaa-chan with my mastery of jutsu, my speed, my reflexes, and all around mental state." Over the years, Naruto had mastered many techniques and had trained himself to exhaustion. He figured out that the use of kage bunshin would speed up the process several notches. If it wasn't for his mastery of the kinjutsu and the fact that his natural chakra reserves neared bijū level, he wouldn't have made it even a fourth of how far he'd come. Hundreds of Naruto's training everyday for five years will indefinitely get you somewhere.

"Tou-chan and kaa-chan? Did you learn who your parents were?" Sakura's interest almost exploded from overflow at his mention of his parents. This was something she had to know, or else she wouldn't be able to sleep. Ever.

"Yeah, they were Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato." Sakura physically tripped and fell flat on her face at the mention of his father. "Sakura-chan? Are you alright?" Sometimes Naruto would manage to forget who his father exactly _was_. He couldn't blame her for her shocked reaction and slacked jaw when she lifter her face out of the dirt. He laughed a little at her goofy expression.

"Okay, okay, now slow down, stop, and reverse. You said _Namikaze Minato_, right?" Naruto nodded, answering her. "_Namikaze Minato_ the _Yondaime Hokage_, the man the village dearly loved, the man who defeated the Kyūbi no Yokō, and the fastest shinobi to ever exist in history, even above the Nidaime, is _your father_?"

"Yup," Naruto responded casually replied. Is it even possible for someone to act so carefree about announcing that their father was one of the greatest and most respected shinobi to ever live?

"Alright then... I didn't just learn something mind-blowing today." Sakura was still a little stunned, but to be fair she had it coming in a way. She never thought about Naruto's relation to Yondaime-sama, but looking at him now and how much their appearances parallel, she could openly see the resemblance.

They finally entered Training Ground Three, putting their conversation to a hold. "This place really does bring back memories, doesn't it?" Naruto reminisced. His mind wandered back to the days of when he, Sakura, Kakashi, and Sasuke took the bell test in an effort to prove they deserved their hitai-ate and Genin status.

Sakura saddened slightly at the memories the opening invoked. "Yeah, it does," she replied. This was where they had so many team training sessions. All the while, she was infatuated with someone that didn't respect her fan-girlish nature nor her ability as a kunoichi. After Naruto left Konoha, her feelings for the Uchiha slowly dissipated. She had to grow up someday after all.

As they approached the training posts, Sakura noticed someone leaning against the other side of the post, a familiar jacket sprawled at her feet. "Look, Hinata's here," Sakura called Naruto to attention, pulling him out of his musings. "Konichiwa, Hinata-san!" The indigo-haired kunoichi spun around off the post with a smile on her face and her lips parted as if to return the greeting, but when she looked to Sakura's right and noticed the tall, blond man, her facial expression changed swiftly to one of shock as her cheeks burned red. She looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

As soon as the young woman locked eyes with him, Naruto also froze and his eyes widened at the sight before him. In front of him was a beautiful young maiden with shining hair and gorgeous eyes. _'That's _Hinata_? The same Hinata that said goodbye to me five years ago?'_ His eyes drifted over the rest of her body. She had grown quite impressively, developing attractive curves in eye-catching places. Her mesh ninja top assisted in defining some of these. Oblivious to Sakura's smirk, he continued his musings. _'Wow. She's really grown into something else. Pretty face, nice curvature, and a perfect set of bre-'_

Naruto shook his head violently to dispel the perverted thoughts that clouded his mind. Inwardly, he sighed. _'I suppose no matter how hard you try, you can't completely avoid acquiring some sort of perverted mannerism when training with the king of them for five years.' _Composing himself a little more, he smiled at the young woman. "Yo, Hinata-chan! It's been far too long!"

Hinata jumped at the sound of his voice, not missing the honorific he had added to her name which caused her face to redden further. A few seconds later, after her mind registered that he had greeted her and she had willed herself to remain conscious, she took a deep breath and prepared to _attempt_ to exchange her greeting, keeping her eyes diverted from his. "K-kon-nichiwa, N-Naruto-ku-kun..." Five years. It has been five entire years and she still had that accursed stutter. Then again, she was caught completely off guard by the blond's appearance. While she could talk to anyone at all without breaking up her sentences nowadays, she still couldn't speak straight to the one male she was head over heels for, nor could she rid her cheeks of her blush. She still couldn't even look him in his own two eyes! After a moment, she realized something. He was finally back. Her Naruto had finally returned to her. She would no longer awaken knowing that her Naruto was gone. While this _entirely_ wasn't the case _at all_, she still fantasized about it with zero evident care for the situational facts.

"It's, uh, good to see you again, 'ttebane? Oh, uh, thanks for the medicine you gave me. It was great and, um, really helped out!" While Naruto did have the ability to talk normally to her, his speech was sometimes distracted. It could be due to the fact that he was trying to abstain his eyes from her bosom, or he could claim it was for a completely different reason.

Hinata perked up a little at his complement and her eyes rose to look at him. What she saw from his body language, particularly the areas his eyes would wander, sparked a blush extremely intense as she realized why he kept looking where he did.

Her jacket wasn't on.

The fact she was now meeting his eyes and that he was apparently having a difficult time averting his gaze from her chest caused what felt like gallons of blood to rush to her face. As a result of the overflow, she fainted, collapsing onto the floor. Naruto jumped at her reaction in slight worry, but he was also partially relieved. _'Good thing she still has her fainting spells.' _Any longer and she would have caused a nosebleed. Sakura took it upon herself to assist the unconscious Hyūga, leaning her against the training post she had fainted beside. Naruto's relief doubled when a young Chūnin burst through the trees to relay orders from the Hokage.

"Uzumaki-san, Sakura-sama, Hokage-sama requests your presence immediately," the Chūnin informed them. They both nodded their understanding and the Chūnin leapt away, his mission complete.

Sakura turned to her blond teammate. "Hokage-sama requests us, so I hope you've at least learned some respect." Naruto nodded, his face morphing to a stern appearance.

"I offer respect where it is due, Sakura. Unlike when I was twelve, I know when to stop acting foolish." From the tone his voice adopted, Sakura could easily understand that he was all business now. She smiled slightly at him before tilting her head in a gesture that meant for him to follow her. The two shinobi launched themselves into the treeline and rushed toward the Hokage tower.

* * *

"You called, Tsunade-hime?" Jiraiya asked as he crawled in through the window of the Hokage's office. Tsunade sighed to herself. _'Does he even know how to work a doorknob?'_ She motioned for him to sit, and he complied.

"I thought I told you to come directly here, not to the women's bathhouse," she accused, to which Jiraiya responded by pouting.

"I haven't even gotten the chance to peep at anyone decent for five years! Cut me some slack! Besides, I find that accusation insulting, regardless of how true it is," the sage retorted. Most of the past five years was spent tutoring his new prized pupil. He had to sit and re-read the descriptive and intimate sex scenes from each of his novels.

"Yeah, whatever. I didn't call you here though to discuss your perverse issues. I want your report on Naruto's training. How much have his abilities increased?" she pried. That was, after all, the entire reason Jiraiya and the blond Genin left.

"I can't really define Naruto's skills so much as I can show you. I've arranged a way to display them and the Jōnin who will be testing them should be here soon. Right now though, I have a more important subject to discuss. During out mission, the Akatsuki started making their moves. Several attempts were made against Naruto, granted they all ended poorly. They even tried to capture the Kazekage, Naruto's brother in burden, and use him as leverage to get the Kyūbi." Tsunade leaned forward in her chair, clasping her hands in front of her face and hanging on Jiraiya's every word. This was indeed important. "All in all, we've defeated every member of the Akatsuki we've fought so far. We've even managed to catch the one that's been gathering information for them," he finished. Tsunade took a deep breath while processing Jiraiya's report so far.

"Is the fox still in check?" she asked. In truth, it was one of the more important points of the subject since if the kitsune were to run rampant through Naruto or escape the seal, it would be a hassle dealing with it and the village would be nearly destroyed. Her brow arched though when Jiraiya donned a smirk.

"Actually, that's part of the demonstration of his skills," he informed her. While she was put at ease, she was also deeply interested in what Jiraiya was implying. She could wait though.

"And according to the information you have given me, the Akatsuki are weakened in numbers?" she asked.

"Actually, they're down _all _of their members except for their leader and, from the intelligence we've gathered, a single remaining subordinate," Naruto answered from the window. Tsunade turned around to see not the boy she remembered and cared about so deeply, but a muscular blond man that reminded her of the Yondaime. She could even see Kushina's face when she looked at him. He had indeed grown to be as handsome as his father had been. "We don't exactly know who it is yet, much less where they are, but we'll let you know."

She smiled at Naruto. "Konichiwa, Naruto. It's been a long time."

"Indeed, Tsunade-sama," Naruto replied with a bow after he hopped from the window to the front of her desk. Tsunade eyed him suspiciously. He isn't addressing her the same.

"Why aren't you calling me _bā-chan_, gaki? What's the deal?" She was ready to plow the imposter through the wall, already focusing chakra into her right fist.

The blond shinobi chuckled. "I'm only delivering respect where it is deserved, Hokage-sama. Of course, you can expect the nickname I've given to you under more casual circumstances." He punctuated his declaration with a familiar wide smile. Tsunade snickered in her seat after relaxing. _'So you actually did grow up, gaki. I must say, impressive.'_

A knock sounded at the door of her office. "Enter," she ordered, and the door creaked open to reveal Sakura who walked in and gave a deep and respectful bow. "Finally, someone normal who knows _how to use a door_," she said as she shot icy glares toward Naruto and Jiraiya, both of which scratched the backs of their heads sheepishly and chuckled nervously. "Judging by your lack of surprise, Sakura, I take it you've already acquainted yourself with him?" At the pinkette's nod, she continued. "Anyways, I'd like to know what you have planned to show me what Naruto is capable of," she inclined.

"I believe I can answer that, Tsunade-sama." Everyone turned to the open window of the office to see a middle-aged shinobi dressed in standard Jōnin attire fitted with a mask, bearing white hair and having one eye covered by his hitai-ate cloth.

"Yo, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto spoke up. "It's been a while!"

"Indeed it has, Naruto. And you seem to have grown into quite the successful shinobi from my initial observations and the information I received from Jiraiya-sama," The cyclopic Jōnin replied, his visible eye crinkled into an inverted 'U' shape signaling that he was smiling beneath his mask.

"Use the damn door!" Tsunade bellowed as she rose from her seat abruptly and slammed her palms on her desk sending shockwaves through the room. The shinobi present trembled and shrank under the Hokage's temper. Kakashi was the first to regain his composure and spoke up.

"Anyways, the test Jiraiya and I have agreed on will be a two against one objective-based test. It will not only be a test of skill, strength, knowledge, and ability, but also a test of teamwork. Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura will work as a team in a reiteration of the bell test."

**/End/**

**/Next Chapter: Bell Test Revisited/**

* * *

**Please review the story, it's my first FanFiction and I'd like to know what you guys think!**

**Thanks loads for the initial favorites, follows and reviews! The story has even been added to someone's community already! I'll try to upload as often as I can, but between class, relaxation, and the time it takes to write these frickin' things, I don't know how often it will be exactly.**

**On a completely unrelated note, the story now has a cover! That is all. Have a nice day and don't forget to favorite if you like the story so far, follow if you want to read more, and review and let me know your thoughts!**


	3. Bell Test Revisited

**DISCLAIMER: ****The Naruto Manga and Naruto/Naruto: Shippuden Animes including their characters, storyline, and content are all owned by Manga Author Kishimoto Masashi and are licensed by Viz Media, Madman Entertainment, and Shueisha. I claim nothing except for my original characters. The idea of the scattered Uzumaki clan and depicting Uzumaki Honoka as a surviving character is credited to Psycho G in his FanFiction "**_**Sealed Legacy.**_**" ****I give permission to anyone reading who wishes to create their own FanFictions to use any of my original characters and/or their personalities. I only request credit for their use in return.**

* * *

**Previously:**

"Anyways, the test Jiraiya and I have agreed on will be a two against one objective-based test. It will not only be a test of skill, strength, knowledge, and ability, but also a test of teamwork. Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura will work as a team in a reiteration of the bell test."

**/Chapter 2: Bell Test Revisited/**

"The bell test, huh?" Tsunade leaned back in her seat. "I actually want to see this. It will definitely be a testament to the skills of our apprentices, especially if it's against the most elite shinobi we have." She turned to Kakashi, and her face hardened into her business expression. I expect you to hold nothing back against them. I trained Sakura as hard as I possibly could and I'm sure Jiraiya did the same with Naruto, although I don't exactly know his strength as of yet."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. "I never planned to hold back against two Sannin apprentices. I know it won't be as easy as it was when they were Genin." He turned to Naruto and Sakura. "Team Seven," he announced, "we'll meet at Training Ground Three, understood?"

Sakura nodded, but Naruto sweat-dropped at his recent memory. "Uh, it's occupied," he said simply, hoping to steer the group from the area where a certain Hyūga heiress lay unconscious.

"Anyone on the training grounds at our time of arrival will vacate by the Hokage's order," Tsunade retaliated. "This isn't exactly something casual, you know. It's crucial that I evaluate each of your skills and know where you both stand compared to Kakashi." Naruto inwardly sighed, defeated by the Hokage's logic. He gave in and nodded, agreeing with her statement.

"I suppose we will meet you there then, Tsunade-hime," Jiraiya informed her while walking over to the office window where Kakashi was still standing. In response, Tsunade turned around and stared the two shinobi down, daring them to use the window. "Right after we walk out the door! Come on, Kakashi, we wouldn't want to be late now would we? We have much to do today with the training and the test and goodbye!" he finished, running out the door. Tsunade smirked. They both knew better than to get on her nerves. Simultaneously, Naruto and Sakura snickered to themselves, recalling the look on Kakashi's face. He looked like he was going to cry and soil himself all at once.

"Come you two, we're heading to the third training ground now," Tsunade ordered, and the two apprentices complied, exiting the office.

* * *

While Kakashi followed Jiraiya across the roofs of Konoha, his mind wandered to his two former students. Exactly how strong had they gotten? What were their abilities like? What was in store for him? What was he getting himself into? The questions racked his brain, and he had little knowledge to go on. He hasn't been on a mission with Sakura since she began training under the Godaime, and he hasn't even _seen_ Naruto in well over five years.

He could assume a few things from his knowledge of both of their sensei and their abilities before Naruto departed.

Naruto was an adept Kage Bunshin user when he left Konoha. Not only that, but he had the ability to use the Rasengan, but he needed a Kage Bunshin to perform it. His chakra reserves were extremely large and he had keen instict, able to react to any situation flying by the seat of his pants. Since he had returned, Kakashi could assume his skills with Kage Bunshin were precisely on point, and that he could probably form a Rasengan single-handedly now. His ability with the Rasengan had also probably heightened. He had also probably been taught a range of jutsu that utilized his inhuman chakra capacities.

He sighed inwardly. Well there were a few things he could probably say he knew about the blond shinobi, but at the same time he was incredibly ignorant to what he could do.

As for Sakura, she always was the smarter of the Team Seven Genin. Her intelligence could easily be her greatest weapon. Knowing that she was taught by physically the strongest and hardest-hitting shinobi out of all five hidden villages more than likely meant that if Sakura hit him even once, the test would be over. He would have to use his speed to his advantage and keep away from those hands of hers. It would be somewhat similar to fighting a Hyūga, except a lot more bones would break. She also would probably use a chakra scalpel to damage his muscles and nervous system just by touching him since she was trained in medical ninjutsu. He knew there were more uses for it rather than healing. The biggest deduction he could make about Sakura would be to avoid her touch at all costs.

He was sure his guesses on Sakura's abilities were spot on, but still he knew nothing. There was no telling what would happen during the test, and if he acted on false information, it would be over in seconds.

* * *

As the two Sannin apprentices and the Godaime herself strolled to Training Ground Three, Sakura tried to make conversation with Naruto by telling him of her life the past five years. The keyword was _tried_ since Naruto kept spacing out for some reason, lost in his own thoughts.

"Hello!" she called to him. "Earth to Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto was jolted out of his self-musings.

"Huh?" he asked. He didn't even hear what she had said prior to getting his attention.

"What's up with you? You keep zoning out," Sakura questioned, trying to learn what had her teammate in such deep thought. She almost laughed. Since when would Naruto be in deep thought?

"Oh, sorry. It's nothing. What were you saying again?" the blond answered, flashing a grin towards Sakura in an attempt to assure her his thoughts weren't of any importance.

"Uh huh," she gauged him. "Sure it isn't nothing? Sure you weren't thinking about_ Hinata_?" she pried at him, a sly grin creeping onto her face as she emphasized the name of the heiress. She didn't miss the way he was gawking at the Hyūga earlier that day.

Tsunade happened to catch Sakura's insinuation and her ears perked up. _'So the kid likes someone does he?'_ This was perfect material for her to use in retaliation to Naruto should he ever get on her bad side.

Naruto's head spun toward her with a shocked expression plastered on his face as his cheeks slightly reddened. He quickly shifted his features into a glare, but the blush remained. "N-No!" he yelled in defense, obviously embarrassed. Sakura didn't miss the fact that his face was red and that he actually _stuttered_. She laughed at him.

"Sure, sure, whatever you say Naruto_-kun_." the pinkette mocked. This was gold. The most dense shinobi in the entire village finally took a hint, or did he? Maybe he was just obsessed with how she looked considering he was flabbergasted when he saw her. He'd eventually see the Hyūga's feelings though considering he wasn't stupid anymore. She could do something about this and possibly give the two small pushes in order to get them to interact more, but she decided against it. Naruto seemed like he might do that on his own.

"Alright, that's enough you two," Tsunade spoke up from the front. "Let's pick up the pace a little, we're moving a lot slower than I thought we would." Both teenage shinobi nodded in compliance and they took to the rooftops.

* * *

The eyes of the young Hyūga heiress creaked open for her to examine her surroundings. She was still trying to remember why she was leaning against a training post asleep. All she remembered was that she was taking a rest from training when she was visited by Sakura and-

Her eyes shot open and she developed a bright blush. _'Naruto-kun...' _She though to herself. He was back. He'd come back to Konoha after all these years. And what did she do when she saw him again? She fainted. Wonderful. She buried her face in her hands. Now she had a new kind of depression, one completely different from the day's morning in which she dearly missed the blond shinobi. She had shown she was a disappointment in front of him, too weak to even remain conscious. What would he think of her now? She stood up and reequipped the jacket she always wore just as two elite shinobi entered the field.

"So this is the occupant Naruto was talking about," Jiraiya observed. "A young Hyūga maiden sleeping on the job."

Hinata paled. She hadn't disappointed one of the Sannin too, had she? She immediately composed herself and bowed deeply to the elder sage. "G-Gomen, Jiraiya-sama! I did not mean to disappoint and-" She was cut off by a loud howl of laughter from the Sannin. Her head cocked, relaying her confusion.

"Relax, relax! I was just kidding! I know you weren't out cold on your own accord. As a matter of fact, I think I have an idea of what happened anyways." She blushed at his last interpretation. "Anywho, you might wanna get out of here, Hinata-san," Jiraiya continued. Your boyfriend is coming for his evaluation along with Sakura against Kakashi."

By now, Hinata's face burned an intense red color, which was activate by one word in particular. _'B-B-Boyfriend? H-he thinks I'm N-Naruto-kun's-' _She swooned a little from the overflow of blood to her head. She shook her head and recollected herself, but a light blush still tinted her cheeks. "U-Um, Jiraiya-sama, may I make a request?" she asked, hoping deeply that he would allow what she was about to request of him.

"It depends on what it is," Jiraiya replied.

Hinata looked toward the ground before she spoke her next words. "I-I was wondering if... if I could stay and watch Naruto-kun's assessment?" She mostly just wanted to be there to watch him, but even she wanted to know what he had learned under the tutelage of one of the greatest ninja to ever live.

Jiraiya eyed her closely, causing Hinata to shrink a little under his gaze. He then sighed. "Well I don't know if Tsunade will allow it, but I don't see a reason to decline." he answered, granting her request.

The indigo-haired heiress bowed. "Arigato, Jiraiya-sama," she thanked. Just as she rose from her bow, the rest of the shinobi arrived to the training ground, including the man she admired most. When they both made eye contact, Naruto smiled and waved at her, to which she responded by blushing and looking toward her feet. She couldn't, however, keep the smile that etched her lips.

* * *

Naruto, Sakura, and Tsunade jumped into the training grounds to be met by Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Hinata. Naruto was relieved to see that the Hyūga was wearing her coat now, concealing the ballistics nature had equipped her with in the past five years. When she met his eyes, he flashed her a pleased grin and waved. He did want to see her, he just didn't want a nosebleed or stretched pants to be the result. Whe she looked down, blushed, and donned her own smile, Naruto began to wonder. _'There has to be a reason she does that. She couldn't possibly be _that_ embarrassed in front of everyone.'_

"If you're going to ask about the Hyūga heiress, Tsunade-hime, I allowed her to stay. She just wants to watch the evaluation." Tsunade nodded in agreement since there wasn't really any reason to remove her from the field if she simply wished to be a spectator.

"Alright then. Jiraiya, Hinata, we're moving off the field. Good luck Naruto. And Sakura, show the boys what you can do." Tsunade's praise for her prized pupil was accompanied with a smile as she walked off the field, Jiraiya and Hinata in tow. Sakura was definitely ready now. She was going to really cut loose for this test.

Naruto tightened his hitai-ate, fully ready for the challenge of fighting his old sensei. _'Time to show what I've learned from sensei. I'll try to work by the plan I set up, too.'_ Both teammates began their stretches as Kakashi conjured two bells from his ninja tools pouch.

"I don't think I need to explain the goal here, but I will anyways," he began. "Your goals are to each have one bell by the end of this test. It's about noon now, so you will have until midnight to take a bell from me." Kakashi grabbed his own hitai-ite, lifting the covering of his left eye to reveal a three-tomoe sharingan. "Now since I'm fighting the apprentices of two Sannin, I'm not going to be kidding around. I will not be holding back against either of you. You will have to come at me with everything you have and with the intent to kill if you want one of these." He punctuated his declaration by jingling the bells in his hand.

Sakura and Naruto had completed their stretches by this point. "Ready!' they both shouted in unison, taking up combat stances.

Kakashi took up his own combat stance and prepared to signal the beginning of the test. "Ready..."

* * *

Tsunade and Jiraiya carefully examined their pupils as they prepared for combat. They were intent on seeing the extent of their hard work. Hinata stood off to the side with her Byakugan active, watching Naruto.

"How do you think gaki will fare?" Tsunade spoke up. Maybe she would be able to get a basis of what she would be seeing from Jiraiya.

In response, the white-haired Sannin simply glanced at her with a smug look on his face. "Let's just say you might need to fix a few things in Kakashi's body after the test is over." At her old teammate's remark, the Hokage's eyebrows arched. Was he exaggerating, or was he completely serious? Either way, she redirected her attention to the field. "He's about to start it," Jiraiya informed. They both settled into silence.

* * *

"Start!"

Naruto was the first to charge with Sakura waiting for an opportunity to strike. Mid-charge, he creates two kage bunshin to assist in his taijutsu assault. They attacked Kakashi in a combination of kicks and punches in an effort to get one or two in.

Kakashi found himself immediately on the defensive from Naruto's taijutsu, but something wasn't right. It was too easy. Naruto's attacks were sloppy and slow, easy to block. He decided to show Naruto just how much he wasn't planning on messing around. Swiftly with a kunai, he dispelled both bunshin in a fluid motion and swung his right leg directly at Naruto's sternum. He blocked, but the force sent him backwards, skidding along the ground with his arms crossed in front of him.

Sakura saw her chance. The moment Kakashi kicked Naruto, she sprinted forward, jumping over her teammate and gathering chakra in her fist for her signature technique. "Shānnarō!" she cried as she slammed her fist into the ground in front of the white-haired Jōnin, releasing all the chakra she had gathered in one focused blast. The result was total utter devastation. The ground was destroyed and the shock wave cracked much of the rest, pulling up jagged boulders in different sections of the training ground.

Kakashi jumped immediately into the air as soon as soon as his sharingan noticed where her chakra was moving. Mid-flight, he gaped behind his mask at the enormous crater Sakura had created from one single punch. _'Ok, so I was partially right on my initial guesses about her, except it won't just be over if I get hit. There won't even be enough of me left to bury.'_ Kakashi wove a few seals for a signature jutsu of his own. He held out his right hand and gathered the necessary chakra. **"Raikiri!"** he announced as gravity took its effect and he dropped straight back down at Sakura. She was still recovering so he might be able to pull something off.

When he was only a few feet away from the pink-haired kunoichi, something that he couldn't exactly explain happened. Several golden chains of what appeared to be chakra to his sharingan sprang up out of the ground, wrapping around first his Raikiri wrist and then around various sections of his body, holding him in place on the ground. He looked over at Naruto and saw he had a ram seal formed with the same chains protruding from his back.

Naruto put a lot of pressure onto the chains Kakashi was bound in, but the Kakashi that was there had burst into smoke, revealing a crushed log in the middle of his chains. He sighed and released his chains which dissipated. _'Kawarimi...'_ He then looked over at his teammate who was still somewhat shaken by what Naruto just did. "Did you see where he went?" he asked. Despite Naruto's exceptional combat awareness, he didn't catch exactly where Kakashi retreated to in the confusion. His opponent was still a Jōnin and therefore was a master of stealth.

Sakura turned to him. "Uh, yeah." She stood upright and regained her bearings. "I believe he went towards the lake," she informed Naruto. He nodded.

"We'll head there together and attack as one unit. Let's just see how well we can still cooperate using situational adaptation," he said. While even teams with plans required some amount of ability to work together, if they couldn't work as one unit in any situation, their mission would be much more difficult. Sakura nodded, understanding his reasoning and they both sped towards the lake to catch up with Kakashi.

* * *

"You have _got _to be kidding me Jiraiya..." Tsunade spoke up, flabbergasted by what she had just seen Naruto use, her mouth agape. "He inherited Kushina's ability to use the Uzumaki Chakra Chains? When the hell did he pick that up?"

Jiraiya understood her confusion, since he too had been amazed when Naruto had used the chains during practice one day. "To be honest, I think he unlocked them when he learned to control the Kyūbi's chakra from the Hachibi's Jinchūriki," Jiraiya stated casually.

"He what?!" Tsunade yelled out in surprise. She hadn't even guessed this from Naruto. He had actually managed to control the immense power of the Kyūbi, and from what Jiraiya hinted earlier in her office, he had learned to utilize it in combat.

"Yup," Jiraiya replied. "He apparently became friends with the fox too."

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't even know what to say at this point," she confessed.

All the while, Hinata was also trying to figure out what happened. She had never seen chakra used in such a manner before. What astounded her was the manner in which her molded it though. The chakra he molded just... changed. It looked like it morphed into a different chakra completely and released itself from Naruto's body.

"Come on, they're on the move." With that being said, the group of three took off after the examinees.

* * *

Kakashi was on the move, using every ounce of speed he possessed to outrun the two and make it to the lake in time. _'What jutsu was that even that Naruto used? I've never even seen it before in my life. This is indeed troubling,' _Kakashi thought to himself. But as he processed what he'd learned from his encounters so far, something else popped up that he couldn't figure out. _'Why does it seem like Naruto is hiding something from me?'_

* * *

"He's close, I can feel it," stated Naruto as he and Sakura hopped from tree to tree towards the lake. Just before they hopped out of the trees though, a massive sphere of fire came barreling towards them. They both hopped out of the way and into the clearing, but stopped when they were greeted by an old enemy.

"Orochimaru, huh?" Naruto observed in an amused voice. He turned to Sakura. "Genjutsu," he said simply to her.

"I know," she replied. Honestly, did Kakashi really think that he could get her of all people with this level of illusion? "Kai!" she yelled, and Naruto did the same. What she saw though, did not excite her at all. Kakashi was standing in the lake water, weaving seals with speed unheard of and halting on the bird seal.

"**Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" **Kakashi shouted as the water behind him began to shoot up in relation to a geyser, taking the form of a dragon. That was one of Kakashi's strongest ninjutsu. Sakura was about to move to dodge the water dragon bullet, but she stopped when she heard exactly what jutsu Naruto himself was performing.

Naruto wove through a long set of seals himself with speed equal to that of Kakashi's, except his paused on the dragon seal. **"Fūton: Fūryūdan no Jutsu!" **he howled. The air around him began to shimmer and a breeze started to pick up. The shimmer in the air intensified even more and began to take the shape of what appeared to be a dragon, which immediately charged the water dragon.

Naruto's wind dragon bullet completely eradicated Kakashi's water dragon bullet, cutting straight through it as though it were nothing. When Kakashi's sharingan analyzed exactly what happened, he jumped back before the Fūryūdan struck him dead on. _'I have to strike now before he recovers!'_ He formed his signature Raikiri and ricocheted off the water where he landed and sprinted full speed towards Naruto.

The blond shinobi knew he missed. It was obvious from the high-pitched lightning cracks coming from behind the explosion of water his dragon had created. He smirked. _'Kakashi-sensei won't see this one coming,'_ Naruto held out one hand, in which chakra began swirling and forming a perfect sphere which anyone could identify as the Rasengan. This Rasengan in particular, however, was different. The sphere was a white color and, extending from the sphere in a circle, were four ghostly blades spinning at a dizzying speed. The moment he saw Kakashi charging him with his lighting cutter blazing, he charged.

"**Fūton: Rasengan!" **Naruto cried out as their attacks clashed. The wind element Rasengan slowly sliced its way through the lightning blade, eventually reaching Kakashi's arm. Kakashi caught this and jerked his arm out of the way before whatever damage it was about to deal struck. That didn't mean he was unscathed by the encounter though. His forearm felt numb. He had almost forgotten about Sakura, but was quickly reminded when he felt her charging his left. Fist cocked back loaded with chakra. He jumped into the air again, avoiding the technique. This time, however, Naruto met him in the air.

Before Naruto could get any hits in though, Kakashi grappled him and spun him around, hurling the blond towards Sakura by using his legs to gain more airtime. However, instead of crashing into the medic-nin like he had expected, Sakura did something entirely unexpected, but also clever. She grabbed Naruto and spun him back around in one fluid motion, flinging him at a high speed back towards Kakashi before the Jōnin could weave any seals for the grand fireball technique. Instead, in reflex, Kakashi grasped a handful of shuriken from his pouch and hurled them at Naruto. In response, Naruto pulled out one of his tri-pronged kunai, marked with a seal of some sort, and deflected them.

At the sight of this particular kunai, Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise. _'That kunai. It couldn't possibly be... could it?'_ Naruto extended his arm that held the kunai in an attempt to strike down his old sensei, but Kakashi moved to the side and dodged him. Before Naruto could sail too far past the Jōnin, he spun around and hurled the kunai backwards toward Kakashi, whom was prepared to deflect it. This was when the unexpected happened, proving Kakashi's theory correct. Moments before the kunai reached him, the formula printed on its hilt flashed yellow. Naruto was now in front of him holding the kunai, ready to plunge. Before he could though, Kakashi frantically formed seals and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto landed on the ground after his encounter and looked at his teammate. He actually didn't see that one coming. "He can do that?" he asked, wondering if Sakura had ever seen their sensei Shunshin mid-combat.

She shrugged. "I've never seen it. He must have studied Uchiha Shisui's abilities some time ago. From what I've heard, Shisui did it all the time," she versed. Naruto nodded. He had researched Shisui, but he mostly looked for information that focused on his extraordinary genjutsu prowess.

Naruto sat down onto the ground in a meditative position. "What are you doing?" she inquired. Now wasn't exactly the time to be sitting around and resting, but maybe he had a plan. He didn't answer, but she could feel something strange radiating off of him after a few moment. She noticed the area of skin his eyes morph into a odd reddish-orange pigment. She gasped when he opened his eyes. Gone was the cerulean blue, and in its place were yellow irises with rectangular black pupils. "What is that?" she asked, gawking at Naruto's sudden change.

"Sennin mode," he responded simply. "I learned it from the toads of Myōbokuzan. It utilizes nature chakra and mixes it with my own. The result: my strength and speed are multiplied, as is the capacity and power of my chakra. I'm not necessarily using it for the speed and strength boost though since my base would have been enough. I've got a jutsu I want to use and the chakra enhancement makes it a lot easier. Besides, this makes things a lot easier in terms of finding him since I can sense his chakra from here using the nature energy I've gathered." Sakura was amazed by what he explained about this new transformation. Although, there was one little detail in particular that caught her attention.

"Wait, you said your base strength and speed is enough? Are you meaning to tell me you haven't been trying this whole time?" She was somewhat frustrated by the tone of her voice, but if what he said was true, she was truly amazed at Naruto's progress from the past five years.

"Well, I haven't been using all of my abilities if that's what your asking, although I've had to get serious a couple times so far, and I have to really try up with his taijutsu without going overboard," he educated. "If I used my trump card, I'd stop him a lot faster than I should. Remember, this is a test not just for out abilities, but out teamwork as well which is why I haven't gone all out. How would they gauge how well we work together if I used my maximum strength and kicked the shit out of sensei." He stood up from his sitting position on the ground. "I've got a lot of tricks up my sleeve, and after this next team-based attack we pull off, I'll show you guys what a Jinchūriki is really capable of." Naruto had no clue how big of a bomb he had dropped in front of Sakura.

"W-Wait," she stuttered out, mortified by what she had found out about her teammate just moments ago. "Y-You're a... J-Jinchūriki?"

Naruto paled slightly. He though she already knew about the fox sealed inside of him. "Uh," he began. "Yeah. Sorry, I though you already knew. I'm the Kyūbi's Jinchūriki. Where... Where do you stand in terms of your attitude towards me now that you know? Are you... angry at me?" He truly hoped she wouldn't hate him, call him a demon and refuse to see him again. That had always been his biggest fear as to why he didn't reveal who he was to his friends.

"Of course I don't! What reason would I have to be mad at you?" She exclaimed cheerfully.

Naruto jumped at her outburst. "But I thought-"

"But nothing!" she interrupted him. "While it's a big surprise to me that you're a Jinchūriki, you're still Naruto, and you're still one of my best friends." She punctuated her statement with a reassuring and genuine smile. Naruto let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan. That means a lot to me, 'ttebane?" Sakura nodded at him, understanding where he was coming from and why he was so relieved. In retrospect, it made perfect sense now as to why he was treated the way he was when they were kids, why the adults looked down on him and shunned him, why he was the village outcast. She wouldn't abandon him like that for something so insignificant. She saw him for who he was, not what was inside of him.

"So what's the plan?" she asked, reminding him they were still in a test.

"Oh, right. The plan!" he replied in nervous laughter while scratching the back of his head. "Here's what I need you to do..."

* * *

"So you taught him the art of the toads then?" Tsunade inquired.

"Yeah," Jiraiya confirmed. "He can do it even better than me. He fully mastered it and perfected the use of nature chakra, just like Minato did when he was his age." Jiraiya had successfully trained both of his students in the sage arts, and they both surpassed him. His ego as a sensei was bursting at the seams.

Meanwhile, Hinata was still off to the side, observing with her kekkei-genkai. _'What kind of chakra is that?'_ she wondered quietly to herself. She had never seen something of the sorts. His chakra seemed to have changed slightly, but she couldn't tell what it had become. It looked a little like normal chakra, but there's something off about it. She just couldn't pinpoint what it was. It wasn't like the chakra she saw earlier, but it was still a different type of chakra entirely.

* * *

Kakashi was currently hiding behind a tree, trying to catch his breath. Those two were really pushing him. If this continued any longer, then he wouldn't even make nightfall. For one, Naruto's stamina guaranteed he could make it to midnight and longer in combat. Something still bothered Kakashi. Naruto still wasn't trying. Kakashi had a lot of close calls, but judging by what Naruto had let slip from time to time, there was plenty of opportunity for the blond's attacks to land, but he held back and let Kakashi escape. Why?

He heard a rustling in the leaves, and shot up just in time to avoid a splintering punch from Sakura. The tree he was leaning against was almost completely destroyed. Sakura followed him, delivering a taijutsu combination that was fast, but not fast enough to hit Kakashi. He was still faster than his old student, and he used this to his advantage. He almost lost his footing when he backed into a boulder while dodging one of Sakura's punches, but he ricocheted off of the large rock, leaping onto a tree branch and hurling kunai at the pinkette. In response, Sakura simply picked up the enormous stone and used it as a shield to block the kunai, afterwards throwing it towards the tree Kakashi was perched on.

_'You can't be serious, Tsunade-sama...'_ Kakashi thought as a giant rock flew towards him. He gathered chakra into his right hand, forming his Raikiri once again and slicing the rock in half. As the rock split, he saw another kunai coming his way. Kakashi deflected it, but Naruto appeared in its place, holding an object that Kakashi's eyes bulged upon seeing. Naruto held a Rasengan as large as the stone Sakura had tossed at him. **"Senpō: Ōdama Rasengan!" **Naruto shouted as he lunged the massive spiraling sphere towards Kakashi.

Kakashi was in a bit of a panic to say the least. _'I don't have anything to counter his Rasengan in time! I'm going to have to use _that_ jutsu then!'_ He gathered chakra as swiftly as he could and focused it into his sharingan. **"Kamui!"** he cried. A vortex appeared in place of the Rasengan, teleporting it to a different dimension.

To say that Naruto was surprised was an understatement. Just what had his sensei learned while he was gone? While he was distracted, Kakashi squared a forceful punch directly into his face. Naruto was flung backwards, rolling on the ground a couple of times before he regained his footing. He reverted his eyes towards Kakashi, and was surprised even further when he saw his left eye. It looked nothing like a normal sharingan. Instead, the three-tomoe form changed into a shape similar to a folded cyclone shuriken.

"So Kakashi-sensei, you can use the Mangekyō Sharingan, huh?" Naruto perceived. He never thought Kakashi would be able to obtain it since the eye wasn't his in the first place.

"I have, Naruto. I didn't think you'd force me into using it either. Your teamwork is still in sync." Before he could continue, Sakura appeared behind him.

"I'm glad you think so, Kakashi-sensei!" she thanked, just before slinging her fist towards his skull. Kakashi dodged, but the tree he was standing on was decimated by the sheer force of her blow, sending Kakashi back a few feet where he was met by Naruto and engaged in taijutsu combat. A flurry of punches and kicks were exchanged before Naruto was struck in the back of the neck by Kakashi, and before Naruto puffed into smoke.

"Very good you two. And your taijutsu is on point Naruto, but it still isn't good enough to beat me. So I want you to actually start taking this seriously now," Kakashi commanded. He wasn't very happy with Naruto. The younger ninja wasn't taking this test seriously. The moment he finished his words, Naruto disappeared in a glimmer of yellow. Before the Jōnin could react, he was struck in the back of the head by a fist and sent a few feet across the ground a few feet before he recuperated.

"Whatever you say, Sensei," Naruto cockily remarked as he pulled a handful of his special kunai from his pouch and scattered them across the field. Kakashi felt sweat roll down the back of his neck. He would have to rely almost solely on instinct if he was to survive this onslaught; he knew all to well of what was to come from experience sparring with Minato-sensei. Naruto disappeared in a bright yellow shimmer of light again appearing at different kunai on the field each time he teleported, effectively cutting Kakashi off. The Jōnin was desperately trying to defend himself from the random assortment of attacks. He couldn't keep up with Naruto's god-like speed. It even rivaled that of his late sensei's.

Kakashi eventually slipped and was clocked in his left cheekbone, sending him tumbling across the field once more onto his face. Sakura stood off to the side, trying to process in her mind what she had just seen. When did Naruto get so fast? It was almost inconceivable. Kakashi managed to stand back up with some effort. "I didn't realize your speed reached that kind of caliber, Naruto. I must say, I'm impressed. I'm also impressed with exactly how damn hard you hit..." Kakashi finished, rubbing his face where he had been hit.

Naruto grinned at Kakashi's praise. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei! But you haven't seen anything yet!" he proclaimed as he released his nature chakra, turning his eyes back to their original blue and dissipating the pigmentation around his eyes which were now closed. He clasped his hands together in front of his body.

* * *

In Naruto's mindscape, he stood on the shoulder of Kurama, the Kyūbi sealed inside him. **"Are you ready ****_now_****, gaki?"** the fox asked, obviously annoyed by Naruto's stalling. Kurama had been sitting there for hours since the test started, waiting for Naruto to call on him.

"Yup. Let's go, Kurama!" The bijū snorted in reply. He knew that Naruto didn't need his chakra to defeat Kakashi, he simply wanted to show off. Of course though, his Hokage did want a full evaluation of his abilities, and his bijū chakra mode was part of his skill set. Kurama began channeling chakra into his Jinchūriki host, empowering him with the strength of a bijū.

* * *

"I hope you're ready, Kakashi-sensei! You're about to find out what a Jinchūriki who's mastered his bijū can really do!" Naruto announced as his chakra levels sharply spiked.

Kakashi slumped. _'It just doesn't end. I'm starting to think he's an unbeatable god.'_

His body began to transform into a pure mass of chakra. His torso turned a solid black while his lower body and head along with his hands changed into a golden-orange chakra color. A long-sleeved overcoat of chakra formed around his body. His eyes turned to a slitted red and his whisker marks became larger ebony rectangles on his cheeks. His figure developed line markings of a black or golden-orange color, contrasting where they were on his body.

Kakashi's sharingan tracked the movement, but his body didn't have nearly enough time to react as Naruto charged forward with blinding speed and pinned his sensei to the ground with artificial limbs of chakra. What Kakashi also noticed frightened him. In Naruto's right hand was what looked like his Fūton: Rasengan, but the central orb was slightly larger and the spinning blades were much, much larger. It looked to be an oversized glowing white shuriken emanating a high-pitched sound from the large flow of wind chakra.

Sakura was officially dumbfounded. She'd seen it all now. By the time her brain managed to understand what in the hell just happened, Naruto had Kakashi pinned to the floor holding a larger version of his wind Rasengan. She smirked. It looks like they won. But just to seal the deal...

While Kakashi was pinned, he heard someone walking up behind Naruto. He developed a good guess as to who it was when they picked up one foot in each hand, separated his legs, and placed their foot at his groin. His eyes widened and they began to drip tears of terror.

"Please..." he pleaded in desperation. "Anywhere but there!" Sakura smirked and snatched the two bells from his waist, dangling them in his face.

"Checkmate, Kakashi-sensei. You lose," she proclaimed, a pleased smile on her face. Yep, they'd won. Naruto released Kakashi and his jutsu, letting his chakra transformation evaporate. Kakashi climbed to his feet, but he was still shaking in fear and his eyes were still wide with tears flowing. When Sakura pumped her fist in celebration, he flinched hard. The pinkette eyed him suspiciously, even though she could probably gauge why he was so scared.

The three spectators watching the group moved out of their hiding places where they watched the battle ensue. Jiraiya helped Kakashi out of the field, since he was traumatized by nearly having his family jewels crushed. "Congratulations you two, your training has yielded brilliant results. Naruto, I'm especially surprised by the level of skill you showed. I expected you to be strong, but not anywhere near this level. I trust you'll be competing in the Chūnin exams next month?"

Naruto grinned, "Of course I am if I can find a team. I wouldn't miss the exams for the world!" he stated, his voice wracked with confidence and excitement. Tsunade couldn't help but smile at the antics of the blond shinobi. _'He's still a kid in some ways, but I guess that's Naruto.'_

She turned around. "I'll modify your files when I get back to the office. I'll also configure a team for you to participate in for the exams." Before she began to walk away, an evil idea rooted itself in her brain and she had to use all of her willpower to suppress a smirk. "Let's go Sakura, I'd like to discuss your performance on the way back." With that, she began to walk away, and Sakura soon followed suit as soon as she said her goodbyes to her teammate and Hinata.

"Was I not up to par, Shishō?" Sakura asked once they were out of earshot. She wondered how Tsunade could be disappointed in her. She thought she performed spot on.

The Hokage finally let lose the smirk she had been holding back. "No, you did excellent," she praised. "I just want to see what happens when you leave two lovebirds together." Sakura gasped at her sensei's intentions, but quickly burst into laughter.

"Tsunade-sama, I didn't know you could be so sneaky!"

* * *

"I-I thought y-you did amazing, Naruto-kun," Hinata commended as she blushed and noticed that her feet were indeed quite interesting. She was't saying it just to be nice either. She was genuinely amazed by Naruto's performance. She knew he would improve under the tutelage of a Sannin, but this much was almost unnecessary.

Naruto smiled at her. "Thanks, Hinata. I tried my best and so did Sakura, and we both came out victors because of it." In his mind, he was wondering if he should ask her a certain question to get some answers he found recent need of.

"U-Um," the Hyūga heiress hesitated, pulling out Naruto's old ryō purse from her ninja pouch. "I-I still have Gama-chan. W-Would you like him b-back?" she asked him.

Naruto's heart swelled. She still had the purse he gave her all those years ago, and she carried it with her to boot. "Nah," he declined her offer. "You can keep him, he's yours now. I gave him to you, remember?" Hinata felt a lump form in her throat. He was actually giving her one of his most valuable possessions.

"Arigato, Naruto-kun, she thanked him, warmed by his gift as her cheeks heated up even more.

Naruto decided that he should ask her the question he'd been contemplating. "Say Hinata," he started. He almost stopped, but pressed on. "Would you like to, uh, maybe get some ramen tomorrow for lunch?" Hinata's head shot up, wondering if she'd hear him right. She was at a loss for words. Was Naruto really asking her to lunch? As in what could possibly be a _date_? She didn't trust her voice at that moment, so all she could do was blush furiously and give a hard nod at his request, relaying that she accepted. The smile on her face threatened to split her head in half. She couldn't be happier right now.

"Great! I'll meet you at Ichiraku's tomorrow at noon then! Sayonara, Hinata-chan!" he announced as he leapt out of the training grounds, leaving Hinata stunned yet again.

_'He did it again...' _she mused to no one in particular. _'He called me Hinata_-chan_ again!'_ Her joy threatened to explode within her. If it was possible to die from happiness, she was sure she was dangerously close. Immediately, she scampered back home to rest for her _date_ with Naruto tomorrow. Nothing could ruin her day.

* * *

As Naruto leapt away from Hinata, he couldn't help the smile that remained on his face. He basically had a date with a girl tomorrow for the first time in his life, even though its purpose was to get him some answers. He would find out tomorrow if Hinata just acted the way she did regardless of the person, or if she actually did like him in _that_ way.

**/End/**

**/Next Chapter: Reacquaintance/**

* * *

**Well that chapter was interesting. AND we get to delve into the NaruHina stuff a lot more next chapter too!**

**Thank you all for 100 follows on the story and 20 reviews! I really appreciate it and it helps motivate me to keep writing this!**

**Shoutout to dbtiger63 for pointing out a problem in my NaruHina interaction that seemed VERY out of place. Thanks!**

**I updated the summary since the first one sucked ass. The new summary should be an improvement.**

**Please continue to R&amp;R and support my story! Also, PM me your opinions on my idea for a new story in which Naruto has the ability to use the Mokuton. I think it'd be cool, and I already know the perfect way to organize it to put it as close to canon as possible!**

**Thanks again!**


	4. Reaquaintance

**DISCLAIMER: ****The Naruto Manga and Naruto/Naruto: Shippuden Animes including their characters, storyline, and content are all owned by Manga Author Kishimoto Masashi and are licensed by Viz Media, Madman Entertainment, and Shueisha. I claim nothing except for my original characters. The idea of the scattered Uzumaki clan and depicting Uzumaki Honoka as a surviving character is credited to Psycho G in his FanFiction "**_**Sealed Legacy.**_**" I give permission to anyone reading who wishes to create their own FanFictions to use any of my original characters and/or their personalities. I only request credit for their use in return.**

* * *

**/Chapter 3: Reacquaintance/**

Hinata was still waiting to wake up from whatever dream she was having. She had already pinched herself thirty-seven times on her forearm in an attempt to jolt herself awake, but nothing worked. What reality was this in which Naruto, the one man she had admired most of her life, asks _her_ out on a lunch _date_? Even though it may not be a date, she still wanted to think of it as one, and it made her all the more electrified. She immediately left the training ground for home about half an hour ago so she could rest and prepare for her hardest mission yet: lunch with the object of her affections.

What would she wear? Should she just wear her usual ninja garb, and play things casually? It wasn't exactly something formal, was it? What if it was? Should she wear one of her expensive and elegant kimono? No, that wouldn't do, Ichiraku Ramen wasn't a sophisticated establishment. She would only succeed in looking like an overdressed buffoon. She had to at least look good for Naruto; it had been five years since they had even seen each other, so she wanted to make a good impression and show she wasn't dark and weird anymore.

Rifling through her closet at record speeds, she looked through every bit of clothing she had, searching for the perfect outfit for the day tomorrow. After a few minutes of mixing this and matching that, she eventually settled on something casual, but interesting to say the least. It was a light lavender floor length dress that hung loosely around her shoulders and above her collar bone. The dress wasn't exactly form-fitting to show off her curves, but it wasn't exactly loose either. She would also wear a solid black tank top underneath. It was indeed comfortable and it did look better than her normal jacket and ninja pants, but would Naruto like it? She dearly hoped so.

The rest of her day consisted of a long and relaxing soak in her bath, hoping to relieve her of the worries that haunted her for the following day. It wasn't that easy to get rid of them though. They were quite persistent against her. After her bathing session, she dressed herself in a pair of shorts and a white t-shirt before climbing into her bed. Her mind constantly spun around different ideas of what tomorrow would bring. She tried to direct her thought mostly towards an optimistic point. What if he did find her likable? Would he keep asking her on dates until the time came where he would ask her to be his girlfriend? From there would they follow a trail of love until he asked her to marry him and they started a family? Would they grow old together and see their grandchildren become shinobi of Kono-

She had to cut herself off mid-thought. Why was she thinking so far ahead anyways? It was just lunch tomorrow, and all she had to do was avoid messing up the one chance she would have to prove herself to Naruto. Her mind wandered for the next few hours until her insomnia subsided and she slowly drifted into a pleasant slumber, though her last thought of the night brought a smile to her face before she left her consciousness behind. _'Naruto-kun...'_

* * *

Naruto continued through the woods back to the village. He was just back and he still had a good bit of daylight left, so he figured he'd meet back up with all of his old friends. Most of the ninja were in town today so he figured missions were slow lately. Then again, he and Jiraiya cleared up a few issues in neighboring villages in terms of bandits, chores, and other objectives on their way back so their actions probably were the reason.

He still couldn't exactly shake the fact that tomorrow he'd have a lunch date with a girl the could quite possible admire him in a "more than friends" way. He recalled the past years and how she acted whenever he saw her. She blushed, fidgeted, stuttered and sometimes fainted. She still had these traits, except she didn't fidget anymore and it seemed like her fainting spells had also subsided from the previous encounter. He figured the only reason she fainted earlier was because she noticed where he kept glancing. She was, after all, obviously body-conscious due to the fact she wore baggy clothing.

If it did turn out she liked him, the first thing he would do is request that Sakura and Tsunade hit him in the head with as much power they could muster. Maybe that would make him think straight. Then again, they hit pretty damn hard and they both terrify even Kakashi-sensei, so he might toss that idea aside and settle for a tree, or a rock... something that wouldn't cause permanent brain damage and death. The second thing he would do is continue to go on dates with her if she seemed interesting to him. He did admit she was a beautiful young woman who had an excellent body and a cute face, but it wasn't looks that mattered. Those were only a bonus if her personality was likeable.

Hinata aside, he still had a lot of people to see before the day was out. There was Team Eight, the rest of Hinata's team under Kurenai-sensei; Team Ten, the classic Ino-Shika-Cho trio under Asuma-sensei; and Team Gai, probably the last team he wanted to see due to the overenthusiastic Gai-sensei and Lee. The last had him shuddering; surely Lee would want a match and turning him down due to the fact he had a date tomorrow would be difficult. Above all, however, there was one person in particular he wanted to see more than any other at the moment. He sped towards the Konoha Ninja Academy, hoping his old sensei was still present.

* * *

Umino Iruka sat back, watching his his class practice the Henge no Jutsu. With each attempt, they all came closer than before to achieving perfection in the technique. He recalled back to the academy days in which Naruto was his student. To think that the class clown and prankster would become the apprentice of a Sannin. It made Iruka's pride skyrocket to learn of his former student's accomplishments. This wasn't even including Sakura who was apprenticed by the Godaime herself.

As Iruka, leaned forward, the voice of a grown man sounded behind him. "It's been a while, Iruka-sensei," the voice said, startling the Chūnin and causing him to slip completely off of the bench he was parked on and fall flat on him face. Iruka cursed his lack of awareness for someone to simply walk up behind him like that while he rubbed his forehead. After a moment her turned around to find the source of the voice, and his eyes widened at the recognition of a blond man with bright blue eyes staring at him, a grin plastered on his face. "How have you been?"

Iruka's shocked expression quickly changed to one of excitement as he arose from his position on the ground. "Naruto! It's great to see you again!" he exclaimed as he extended his arm, which the blond firmly grasped in a forearm handshake. "It's has indeed been far too long, Naruto. And look at you! You've grown up into a man! You're a lot different from when you were a kid!" Naruto scratched the back of his head and nodded after releasing the arm of his academy teacher. Iruka turned toward his class and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Class!" he shouted in their direction, "Come meet the apprentice of Jiraiya-sama!"

The students immediately perked up at hearing the elite ninja's name before looking at Naruto. Excitement filled their eyes as they ran over to their sensei and the blond ninja, huddling in a tightly packed group. All the while, Naruto was bombarded with praise to which he responded with a blush at the recognition he was getting. _'This must be what is was like for dad everyday,'_ he thought to himself.

"Now settle down class! Settle down!" Iruka ordered his students. The praise quickly died down and the young shinobi-to-be stood with ecstatic smiles gracing their faces. "What do we say to our guest sensei Naruto, kids?"

The students all spoke their greeting in unison. "Konichiwa, Naruto-sensei!" Naruto laughed at the greeting. Him? A sensei? He honestly couldn't ever see it happening.

"I don't think I'd be cut out to teach a group of kids, sensei," he confessed to Iruka, earning a small chuckle from the academy Chūnin.

"That's what I said once," Iruka responded. "Look at me now, though. I wound up teaching what might be the most successful generation of ninja in Konoha history. Which reminds me, you must be pretty powerful since you trained with Jiraiya-sama for five years." At these words, the class began a new uproar, all asking Naruto to show them one of his "cool jutsu."

Naruto laughed at the attention he was getting while Iruka stood to the side with a jolly grin on his face. "Alright, alright, you guys win. I'll show you a jutsu." The class cheered in excitement, each student wondering what justu Naruto would perform for them. Naruto outstretched his right hand, in which chakra began to swirl and take the shape of a white ball with four outstanding white blades. The students were awestruck by the jutsu. Even Iruka was intrigued by Naruto's display considering this wasn't his average Rasengan.

"This, kids, is the Rasengan enhanced by my wind release chakra. It's a very powerful jutsu that does a lot of damage," Naruto lectured. "Does anyone know what the Rasengan is?" he asked the class, to which he received many shaking heads in response. He laughed a bit considering that the late Yondaime, despite the fact he was a favorite among the recent generations of Konoha citizens, wasn't even recognized for his creation of an advanced jutsu. "It's one of the original techniques created by the Yondaime Hokage. His version, though, was unfinished. This is the complete Rasengan." The students were even more amazed by the fact that the jutsu they were seeing right now was the technique of a Hokage.

Iruka caught something about Naruto's statement that made him think for a moment, his eyes not leaving his ex-pupil. There was something about the teen that struck familiarity in Iruka's mind which in turn formed a question that couldn't be left unasked and which built up a straining anticipation. "Naruto," he began, catching the blond's attention as he let the Rasengan fade. "I have to ask, are you in any way related to the village's late Yondaime?"

The reply he received wasn't one he expected. Naruto lightly laughed at the question. Before Iruka could say anything else, Naruto answered his question. "Yup," he simply said, which cause Iruka's jaw to drop. "He's my dad."

The students joined Iruka in his speechlessness. Standing before them was the legacy of the Yondaime Hokage, the elite shinobi who defeated a tailed beast in battle. Iruka almost couldn't believe that he had been the teacher of the Yondaime's son. Then again, he probably should have been able to guess it sooner since the resemblance was a bit obvious. It also wasn't exactly classified information when Iruka was growing up that the wife of the Yondaime's surname was "Uzumaki." But how could Naruto announce something so casually? It wasn't exactly an average declaration to announce that you were the son of a famous kage.

After Iruka found his voice about a minute later, he spoke up. "Well then, uh, Naruto, I have to, uh, go teach my class... and grade... things... so I guess I'll catch up with you later!" With a nervous laugh, he ushered his students back into the school building, his mind still trying to comprehend what had been hidden from him for years.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at his former sensei. He was still trying to digest the information he received. He had been hoping to catch up a little more with his sensei, but it seemed that would have to wait for another time. As he waved a goodbye to the academy teacher he looked up to as a big brother, he darted out of the school grounds to a favorite cloud-gazing spot of a shogi expert.

* * *

Nara Shikamaru gazed at the fluffy white masses above him, relaxing his mind and body. "You're really lazy, you know that?" a woman whose lap his head rested on spoke. Of course, relaxing would have been much easier if a certain troublesome woman wasn't aggravating his nerves. He looked slightly to the left into the dark-green eyes and smiling face of a woman who would constantly get on his nerves, but nonetheless a woman who soothed him irrefutably and spiked his joy.

"Troublesome woman," he muttered as his lip twitched into a smile of his own. Despite everything, he was comfortable in his relationship with the young woman who was stroking the top of his head and scratching his scalp.

"Whatever, you know you love me, Shika-kun," she teased as she leaned down towards his face, closing her eyes.

He chuckled. "You might be right," he responded to her, closing his eyes as she neared him. However, it never came as they were both interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.

"Shikamaru? And Temari? Well isn't this interesting!" Naruto interrupted, laughing. Temari's eyes glared razor blades at the blond shinobi, but the blush that stained her cheeks hinted that she was embarrassed to be caught in a private moment with Shikamaru, who was also slightly blushing with an irritated look on his face. "What? You guys aren't happy to see me?"

Both of their looks disappeared after a couple moments, changing to grins for their returning friend. "It's been a while, Naruto." Shikamaru spoke. "Still, you couldn't have waited to come look for me? I was having a nice moment."

Naruto laughed again. "I could tell, but how am I supposed to know when you're having 'moments' with your missus?" the blond teased, earning another sharp look and blush from Temari. Shikamaru merely cackled at his friend's teasing. Naruto's eyes caught a couple details about Temari; one he just noticed as different and another that had him genuinely confused. "Say, Temari, I see you wear your hair down now. It looks good on you. But one thing, why do you have a Konoha Hitai-ate instead of a Suna one? Aren't you a Suna shinobi?"

Temari's expression returned to a pleased smile. "Well I still am a Suna shinobi, but I'm also a Konoha shinobi. I'm the link for diplomatic relations between the two villages. I live here now though since one particular ninja is too lazy to get off his ass and come see me in my home village," she said, pointing a finger at the pineapple-haired ninja resting on her lap who remained impassive despite the jab he received.

"Understandable," Naruto replied, sporting his own smile. "It'll be great seeing you around the village then." A question came to mind, one that would probably save him some time. "Say Shikamaru, where's everyone else? I met up with Sakura, Hinata, and Kakashi-sensei earlier today, but are the rest of Team Ten, Team Eight, and Team Gai around?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "Nah, they're all on missions right now. Team Gai shouldn't be back for about a week, Team Eight will probably be back day after tomorrow, and my team will be back around a day after Team Eight returns. In short, they'll be back in a while," he informed his old friend.

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "Well that explains where they are, but it doesn't explain why you and Hinata didn't go with them."

Shikamaru sat up, stretching his arms. "Hinata had Hyūga clan affairs to attend to at the time and I was recovering from a broken ankle at the time my team left last week. It's all fixed up now, but I'm still a little sore," the intelligent shinobi enlightened.

"I see," responded Naruto. "Well I suppose that makes sense. Anyways, I had my evaluation with bā-chan and Kakashi-sensei earlier today. It was pretty funny to considering Sakura nearly made Kakashi-sensei-"

Temari cleared her throat, reminding the two young men that she was still very much present. "If you don't mind, Naruto, I believe we were doing something before you intruded and I'd like to return to my relaxing day." Even though she was pleased to see Naruto again, she wasn't too grateful that he'd interrupted a moment with her late boyfriend.

A smirk etched Naruto's mouth. "I see," he said. "My sincerest apologies, Temari-sama. I will depart so that you may continue making out with your soul mate, milady," Naruto teased. When Temari glowered at him and her face flushed for the third time, Naruto simply laughed and took his leave. Yanking her chains was comical to him. Then again, he supposed that someone would be looking for revenge if he began seeing Hinata.

He jolted. _'That's right, I have a date with her tomorrow and the sun is setting. Better head home then,'_ he mused to himself. He figured he'd wear something casual for his lunch date tomorrow. Since there wouldn't be anyone back in the village tomorrow, he might be able to spend the day with her as well if he has fun at lunch. Turning on his heel, he took to the roofs towards his next destination before he went back to what he hoped was still his apartment. It had been five years after all and he was out of things to wear. He just hoped he wasn't out of a bed to sleep in too.

* * *

Tsunade stood in front of the window of her office, deep in thought. Naruto was much stronger than she had expected him to be. He was at minimum Elite Jōnin level and it didn't make her happy that she was still putting him through the Chūnin exams. Still though, it was logical since missions were coming in rather slowly these days. She needed to show the nobles of Hi no Kuni that the young shinobi of their ninja village were capable of handling any mission they received. Naruto would be a prime example of this.

She did, however, make a silent promise to herself that when he did come out on top at the Chūnin exams, he would immediately receive the rank of Elite Jōnin. He deserved no less. His skill was pinpoint since he was able to defeat Hatake Kakashi, the legendary copy ninja. He had matured to a degree she hadn't even expected from the gaki when he left the village to train which had also sharpened his thought process in combat. He was definitely able to strategize and form plans well since he outsmarted Kakashi a couple of times during the test in addition to waiting and observing Sakura's abilities before revealing his bit by bit.

If she had to criticize any mistake he made, it would be his loss of focus after Kakashi used his Mangekyō Sharingan to absorb Naruto's giant Rasengan, even though she herself was also taken aback by the sheer magnitude of Kakashi's dōjutsu ability. It was almost inconceivable for something as big as Naruto's technique to disappear in the blink of an eye like that.

She returned to her seat and pondered on the upcoming exams, wondering how Naruto would reveal his abilities to the crowd. She would have to ask him not to reveal his maximum to the crowd considering that would give enemy villages intelligence they didn't need just yet. She would also have to ask him not to show up his teammates and to give them a chance in the spotlight reveal what they're made of. He wasn't the only one looking for a promotion.

* * *

When Naruto arrived at his hopefully-still-to-be-his apartment, he pulled his door key out of his ninja pouch and turned it in the lock. When the door unlocked and he stepped inside, flicking the lights on and kicking off his sandals before examining the apartment. It was cleaner than he remembered, but it still possessed his belongings from five years ago. The picture of Team Seven was still on his nightstand along with his alarm clock. His poster of the Konohagakure symbol still hung from the wall above his bed. It was still his room, but it was strangely very clean. Cobwebs and dust weren't present like they should be. He figured that maids were send by the Hokage to clean the room during his absence. He dropped his ninja tools onto his night-stand and set his bag of clothes and instant ramen down on the floor. He couldn't really cook, so instant ramen was obviously the best choice to satisfy his current hunger needs.

After his meal, he hit the shower, letting the water run over his body as he thought about tomorrow. He already knew what he would do to figure out if she acted the way she did just around him or around everyone. What if it was only him she was so flustered around? How would he respond? Should he tell her that he knows or should he wait? Questions formulated over and over in his head as he contemplated tomorrow. Eventually, he completed his though process and exited the shower, drying off and dressing in some of the night clothes he bought.

He reached into the door of his nightstand and pulled out his old sleeping cap. He smiled at how goofy it was, yet he still loved sleeping with it. He didn't bring it on his trip because he was afraid he would lose it, and he couldn't handle losing something so dear to him. He also left the Shodai's necklace behind for the same reason. It was a gift given to him by his grandmother-figure that he promised he would never lose. It also meant a great deal to him, just as she did. He donned his cap and laid down on his bed which smelled of lilacs. He smiled at the scent since it reminded him of a particular young girl. A though occurred to him. Was she the one cleaning his room while he was gone? He decided to ask her tomorrow after lunch before his eyes became heavy and sleep overtook him.

* * *

**Really sorry about the short chapter and the long wait guys, I've been swamped with homework all week since finals are coming up and I haven't found any time to get this story underway. Sadly, Naruto and Hinata's 'date' is going to have to wait until the next chapter. Don't worry, as reconciliation, I will extend the next chapter and add events I wouldn't have added in this one. It will be a VERY in-depth day. Think of it as a reproduction of a movie including deleted scenes :P**

**Again, REALLY sorry!**

**Still, thanks so much for 48 reviews, 115 favs, and 185 follows! The support is awesome!**

**I know for sure I will have free time to write tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday so I will be spending a lot of time in OpenOffice those days writing the NaruHina that some of my readers came to see! I'm actually in a bit of need myself to write the scenes. Prepare yourselves! 'Insert Boromir Meme'**

**Again, really sorry, but I'll make up for the short Chapter!**


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